Covid-19 Service Reductions

In March 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic we made the difficult decision to temporarily reduce our service to UK hospitals. Currently, we automatically provide every UK hospital with stock every 6 months, but due to infection control measures, some hospitals were understandably refusing donated items. We have continued to work with these Hospitals to ensure that we have met the needs of the bereaved parents directly.

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When the charity re-opens in line with the Governments recommendations on the 12th April we are happy to say we will be resuming our usual Hospital service, in full.  We are also, of course, still able to send out Cherished Gowns direct to families and to funeral directors.

The current stance on infection risk from parcels is that ‘the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.’ (World Health Organisation, 2020). Therefore, we are still accepting parcels sent into our office of knitting and sewing items from our volunteers, but there may be a delay in these being acknowledged whilst we further quarantine items to minimise any potential infection risk.

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Our preloved shop will also be reopening on an appointment-only basis on the 12th April. Appointments will be limited to Bride plus 2 people to ensure we are not putting our volunteers or customers at risk. Customers will be expected to wear a face-covering, use hand sanitiser, and will be asked Covid-19 screening questions before being permitted access to premises. Volunteers will also be wearing a mask & visor, and protective gloves during the appointment. All dresses that are tried on will be quarantined for a 72 hour period.

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We are very grateful for the hard work that all of our volunteers do for the charity, and if any of our volunteers are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19, or any other illness we urge you to put your health first, seek medical treatment where needed, and to rest! You can find more information on the symptoms of Covid-19 and how it is treated here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

The easiest way to stop the spread of any virus is through frequent handwashing with soap and water, and we have a handwashing station available to all visitors, staff and volunteers within our office & shop. We are also continuing to regularly disinfect workspaces, door handles and items that are frequently touched, in the same way we have always done.

 The charity holds enough stock to meet the current need indefinitely, and there is no reason that this will have any kind of impact on our ability to offer our service, nor that families will experience any delays.

Thank you all for your support during this time

Last updated 21/03/2021.