Very early on in lockdown, before the wearing of face masks became commonplace or, in some places, mandatory, one of the Joseph Rowntree Theatre’s volunteers began making and selling jazzy, fabric face masks  to help the theatre’s Raise the Roof appeal.  Demand was high, and within just a couple of months, sales have topped the £850 mark.

Barbara Boyce, one of the theatre’s board of trustees, bought and donated all the fabric and elastic to make the masks, and joined the theatre’s Just Giving campaign with her fundraiser.

Barbara says, “I am making these fun face masks to brighten up those occasions when people need to wear them. They come in a huge variety of high quality fabrics featuring animals, florals and quirky prints.”

Now that mask-wearing is becoming compulsory in shops, Barbara anticipates that there will be a continued demand for the funky masks. She is asking for a minimum donation of £8 for each mask and buyers can contact her to choose a design and size. Masks are available in adult and child sizes.

“All our usual income has dried up as no one is able to hire the theatre at the moment. We still need to pay our bills and get the roof repaired” says Barbara. “So far I’ve made over one hundred masks and as long as people keep buying, I’ll keep sewing!”

Anyone interested in buying a mask can contact Barbara via her Just Giving page.

While the future remains uncertain, we are determined to stay positive, just like Barbara, and over the coming months, whilst we can't open our doors, we are staying active with lots of events and activities all in aid of our Raise the Roof fundraising appeal. Every penny counts and we are thankful to everyone in our lovely community who has supported us throughout this time. To keep up to date with all the latest theatre offerings, sign up for the theatre mailing list.