T-shirt given to volunteers of the Hampstead Gown Factory (HGF), designed by Adam, a HGF volunteer, part of the by Royal Free Charity volunteer project to produce surgical gowns for key workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, printed in England, T-shirt made by Gildan and made in Nicaragua, 2015-2020

Each of the 614 volunteers that staffed the Hampstead Gown Factory over five months received a T-shirt. They produced 50,000 surgical gowns for healthcare workers at the Royal Free and Barnet hospitals.

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was the only way for healthcare workers to protect themselves. A shortage of PPE dominated the first UK lockdown, with many key workers having to adapt existing materials or rely on volunteer pools.

One such pool was set up by the Royal Free Charity. Each morning and afternoon shift had 60 volunteers. Everyone had a set task such as sewing shoulder seams, cutting, checking, filling bobbins, quality control and packing. At peak productivity, 800 surgical gowns were made every day. Volunteers were regularly tested for COVID-19, completed a health check questionnaire and had their temperature checked on arrival, as well as observing social distancing. Surgical gowns cannot be made at home as they need to be produced in as sterile an environment as possible.

For many of the Hampstead Gown Factory volunteers, the project offered personal benefits too. It provided a focus during the first lockdown, was a chance to use existing skills and learn new ones, and to become part of a community not mediated by screens.