Inundated with offers from people self-isolating who wanted to get sewing, she was buoyed by the donations of fabric from a market trader friend, Neil Rolfe, and latterly from clothing chain River Island.
Ms Hughes has been “overwhelmed” by the support. It had been “eye-opening” learning about the level of demand for the scrubs.
“The kidney care unit at the Royal Free didn’t have any, so I had to supply them.”
One senior medic at Barnet Hospital contacted Ms Hughes after not being able to find the right size scrubs from the NHS supply, with only XXL left. Another doctor working in several A&E departments across North-West London asked for a set as large scrubs were “getting hard to come by in hospital”.
Many NHS staff had written to her to express thanks, one saying it was “truly humbling to know there are people like you propping us up at this difficult time”.
Mrs Hughes’s team includes Sue Gobel, 60, and husband Martin, 63, who have produced around 100 sets of scrubs, working up to seven hours a day, four days a week.
The Pinner couple said they “had a passion for sewing” and wanted to give “something back to people who are putting their lives on the line”.
West London Reform congregant Elizabeth Shrager has made scrub bags and deliveries. She felt it was “the least I can do” and the experience had been “humbling” because of the gratitude of recipients.
An interfaith social action group run out of Kol Chai Reform Synagogue has collectively sewn around 50 sets of scrubs, as well as other types of PPE such as arm protectors.
Sonia Joseph, one of the organisers of the Kol Chai group, said she had “just wanted to pitch in and do something really practical and immediate”.
There are several doctors within the 61-year-old’s family and she had been keen to help ensure that they and their colleagues were protected.
Jacky Martin, another organiser, said her involvement had given her a sense of purpose during the lockdown. She was pleased to be using her time positively, rather than “watching a lot of television”.
