At this time of year, members of WAA would be normally busy making final preparations for the annual Pantomime at the Wellesley, but these are no ordinary times.

This year, instead of sewing costumes, as she has done for over 20 years (and more recently making props), Penny Bradnum, who is also President of Wellington Pantomime Group, has been sewing scrubs.  Just a week ago, she got a call from  WAA members Bridgette Sells and Jane Burt, who had both volunteered as a Covid vaccinators at Taunton Racecourse, to say that they were not being provided with scrubs, and could she help?. Penny had been sewing face masks for a charity during the first lockdown, and hadn’t made scrubs before, but thanks to the Taunton Scrubbers, she obtained a pattern and some material, plus whatever could be found from her own fabric store, and set to work.

So if you are called to the Racecourse for your vaccination, look out for some particularly colourful  scrubs, that might look more at home on the stage than a medical scenario. As Penny says –“ it’s not been so different from making some Aladdin chorus costumes, and I just hope they brighten peoples’ day a bit.”

Many Arts Association members have been busy volunteering during the past year. They vary from being Vaccination Volunteer Stewards, doing shopping,  collection of  prescriptions , transporting people to their vaccinations,, being NHS volunteers as Check-in & Chat reps, producing online exercise videos, sewing scrubs and masks, right up to opening a Community Shop and running a Community Support Group, and creating support software

Wellington Arts Centre has been undergoing a major refurbishment since the Spring, so the members are keen to get back to putting on Musicals, Pantos and Plays, and welcome back the public as soon as they are safely able to.