Tracey turns her dining-room table into a business powerhouse

"It has been a very busy time but it is lovely to be able to help people and the feedback and the support we have had makes it all worthwhile."

A Bedworth woman has reacted to the Covid-19 crisis in enterprising fashion by adapting her embroidery business to make more than 15,000 masks which she has distributed for free.

Tracey Redfern, who runs Bobbinz Embroidery based at the Centenary Business Centre, Nuneaton, has turned her dining-table into a manufacturing powerhouse.

For 13 years, her business has thrived at the Warwickshire County Council-run business centre. Now her usual stock-in-trade of personalised gifts and workwear has been temporarily transformed into face-masks - and the demand has proved colossal from people from the local area but also as far away as Scotland and Liverpool.

Due to her own health situation, Tracey is having to self-isolate for 12 weeks, but that has not prevented her from putting in some serious hours.

"It all started before lockdown when we saw what was coming and I made some masks for some friends locally," she said. "Then I put on Facebook that anyone who wanted any is welcome to get in touch and it just took off. My dining-room table has turned into a factory with the rolls being folded, cut to size, fitted with elastic and stitched.

"The masks are either posted out or, if the customer is local, can be collected. It is all done with strict adherence to social distancing. The boxes are left in the porch and picked up from there by the customer."

All the masks are manufactured and distributed for free - and Tracey's industry and kindness has also brought the best out of others.

"Companies have been wonderful," she said. "They have donated fabric, elastic, labels and envelopes and it is a big help that people have been so kind. Sometimes, parcels have just turned up on my doorstep totally unexpectedly.

"This is a very strange time for everybody and I do miss being able to go into Centenary Business Centre which has given us such a brilliant base for 13 years, but hopefully we'll be back there fairly soon.

"It has been a very busy time but it is lovely to be able to help people and the feedback and the support we have had makes it all worthwhile."

Anyone who would like any masks is welcome to email Tracey at tracey@bobbinz.com