A WOMAN who could arguably be crowned Tavistock Pannier Market’s sewing queen has raised thousands of pounds for charity during the pandemic selling her homemade facemasks.

Lillian Hartley, 80, has been stitching away on her sewing machine every evening to make fabric masks to sell on her stall alongside hand-stitched bags, tea cosies and aprons as well as cuddly toy doorstops and other gifts.

The facemasks have proved a roaring success, raising £4,000 for charity including £2,000 for the Devon Air Ambulance Trust – who last week visited Lillian in the market to present her with a thank-you certificate.

Lillian said: ‘I first started making them in lockdown, putting a notice at the bottom of the garden and selling them that way, and then I carried on in the market. I make the masks at the weekends and a couple of hours in the evening. I buy my own material and elastic and bits and pieces and don’t get anything out of it. All the money goes to the charities. I do it because I enjoy it. I love sewing. I have got three sewing machines at home and I am lucky because I have got a big sewing room with stuff everywhere, as you can imagine.’

The first £2,000 Lillian raised from selling the masks went to Derriford Hospital, where she has recently had a life-saving operation. ‘I was very poorly and they looked after me and I’m still here,’ she said. ‘I wanted to do something to thank them.’

She said the facemasks had been ‘very popular’ as she makes them in different fabrics. ‘People can buy them to match an outfit,’ she said. ‘I sell them for £3 and two for £5 so you can imagine how many I’m making. I’ve never worked out exactly how many. I will start making them again this week and I shall probably sell them this time for Cancer Research or Macmillan, I’m not sure yet, but I will carry on.’

Market reeve Duane Carruthers said everyone in the market was ‘very proud’ of Lillian.

‘She has worked tirelessless since the outbreak of covid making masks to raise money for both the NHS and Devon Air Ambulance. On an evening she sits there making them. It has obviously cost her money but she’s passed on all the money raised to charity. Myself and all the market traders are very proud of her for doing such commendable, selfless work for such worthy causes.’