Dana Nicola, 23, currently on furlough and Katlin Sivertsen, 25, recently made redundant because of COVID-19, decided to put their time to good use and to help Brighton and Hove Buses staff.
Dana, whose father Steve Trewin works for the bus company as stores manager, said: “We’ve been working at the bus depot in Conway Street, Hove, over the past few weeks and have stitched 1,850 masks for staff at the company.”
Their effort follows the rule that everyone on public transport must wear face masks to prevent the spread of the pandemic virus.
The friends, who both graduated with BA(Hons) Fashion with Business Studies degrees last summer, were helped in the project by Dana’s father and his colleagues including Nathan Enticknapp, Bobby Boyjo and Neil Miles.
Dana, who is normally working in product development in London, said: “We’re really happy to have been able to make masks for the drivers and provide them with protection. With masks being mandatory for passengers, if they see drivers wearing them it will remind them to wear them and it will help them feel safer.
“We did not want to be stuck at home doing nothing and at the same time we wanted do something useful to help.”