A ZEAL Monachorum woman is busy making face masks in aid of a number of animal charities.

Mandy Smith normally makes pet beds to sell at local markets, shows and events, but with that not possible, she diversified into making headbands with buttons for staff at the North Devon Hospital.

The hospital staff were able to use the headbands to attach to their face masks. Mandy supplied them with the help of another village volunteer with a sewing machine.

Mandy explained: "When the Hospital informed me that it had been donated more than 400 and didn’t require any more, I continued to make headbands with buttons for a local Care Home, in Morchard Bishop, which has 20 staff.

"The home was delighted to receive my donation to their staff, I received via e-flowers, a most beautiful bouquet as a ‘Thank-you’."

She continued: "I was really touched by their generosity as they were by mine!

"Selfless acts seem to promote the human kindness in people.

"Running out of fabric and elastic, I put a help plea on our village community website and through incredible generosity I was able to continue my sewing mission sending scrubs bags to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and continue with my face mask making, which I now supply to the villagers.

"For every face mask I sell I am donating the funds to animal charities as I believe they are having a particularly bad time just now."

Mandy is supporting Guide Dogs for the Blind, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, PDSA, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the Dogs Trust and the RSPCA.

She added that she hoped the donations would make life a little easier for the charities and those working on the front line.

To-date she has raised £100 which has been split and sent off to Redwings Horse Sanctuary and Guide Dogs for the Blind.