Graduates return to campus to produce PPE equipment for NHS

Fashion Design graduates from the University of Gloucestershire have returned to Park Campus to support their old lectures in the production of NHS scrubs. 

Emilie Watts and Kate Smedley graduated last year and have now joined the team which includes Margaret McDonough, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Design and Julia Davies and Dan Adlam, both part time lecturers at the university. Together they have so far created 40 sets of scrubs for local NHS services in just three days. 

Emilie has recently been promoted and is now Production Coordinator at a clothing retailer. Her key tasks involve organizing fashion shoots and casting models. However, she has been placed on furlough leave due to the Covid-19 pandemic and decided to get involved in the universities effort to help combat the NHS PPE crisis. 

Emilie said:
“I loved being back in the studio and seeing Kate and our lecturers again, I am so grateful to have been taught different modules of the course by them – all of them have amazing industry experience. As a team I feel we all worked really well together to create a mini factory production line that gave everyone specific roles, allowing us all to get stuck in. I think we can all do our bit to help the NHS staff and make their jobs a little easier and safer.”

Kate is currently completing her teacher training in textiles and has recently secured a position at a school in Gloucestershire, starting in September. She decided to join the efforts in order to give something back to the NHS.

Kate said:
“Being back on campus felt like we had never left. It was so much fun to be back with Emilie and our lectures and it has made me feel a lot more positive. We were great as a team and I used all the skills that I learnt during my time at university to support the NHS. These are skills I hope to develop throughout my life. I wish I could go back to university here and do it all over again. I’m so glad myself and our lecturers have stayed in touch, especially in times like these.” ​