Shaw Trust Volunteer Sews up the Competition

Jean’s peg bags and aprons fly out of the national employment charity’s
Havelock Street shop

Swindon resident Jean Hobbs, 73, is the kind of volunteer that most charities would love to recruit. Not only has she volunteered in Shaw Trust’s Havelock Street for eleven years but she also gives up a lot of her free time to make shopping bags, peg bags and aprons to sell in the shop.

Jean is a dab hand on a sewing machine and buys most of the cottons, trimmings and some of the material out of her own pocket, spending as much as £50 a time. She’s also managed to wear out one sewing machine!

“I really enjoy making the bags and aprons,” she says, “It gives me something to do – I hate just sitting around and it’s nice to raise money for Shaw Trust and help disabled people find work.”

Jean started making the bags and aprons about six years ago after a customer commented that she was looking for an apron. Now the shop can’t get enough of Jean’s handicrafts and they literally fly off the shelves.

“One customer bought ten items at once and a local hospice cleared us out last Christmas,” says sales assistant Julie Jones who happens to be Jean’s granddaughter. “We sell loads at Christmas time as they make great presents.”

Jean, who has arthritis in both hands would love to be able to make more of her star sellers and is hoping that people with some spare time on their hands might like to help her. She is also encouraging people to donate material, trims and reels of cotton to the shop so that she can help Shaw Trust raise even more money!

“I’d love to be able to make more,” she says, “but sometimes my arthritis stops me. It can be very painful and I can’t cut or sew.”

Jean’s husband John is used to her disappearing upstairs to her sewing room when she gets a bit bored or restless. “He doesn’t mind,” Jean comments. “He knows I really enjoy it.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

1. For further details, please contact Shaw Trust Press Manager Samantha Jobber on 01225 716 300 or 07595 214 649.

2. If you would like to donate material, cottons or trimmings or would like to help Jean make her handicrafts please contact the Swindon shop.

3. Shaw Trust is a national charity, formed in 1982, which helps people with disability or disadvantage to find work and achieve independence. We do this not only by delivering government programmes, but also through our own self-funded initiatives, and by campaigning to change attitudes at all levels. Across the UK around 1,400 staff now oversee a diverse range of more than 200 projects.

4. If you would like to support the work that Shaw Trust does to help disabled and disadvantaged people find work and achieve independence please visit our website


 

 Back to Press Releases