THE University for the Creative Arts has joined forces with Lucy Martin, a hand embroidery degree student from UCA’s Royal School of Needlework as part of their #CreatorsAssemble social media campaign to mobilise creative people everywhere to use their skills and imagination to support the NHS.

Lucy, who studies on the three-year BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery degree programme at RSN, the studios for which are based at Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, has created a heart template with the National Health Service logo inside and is encouraging people of any level of embroidery and age to have a go at stitching their own heart-shaped NHS design, and to hang the completed work in their window to share their support.

The ethos of the design was to create a piece which employs the traditional skills of hand embroidery and shows our thanks and solidarity with the NHS staff at this unprecedented time.

Lucy said: “In creating the NHS heart, I was inspired by the love that our NHS staff show towards their patients 24 hours a day, particularly at this difficult time when most have never experienced such a situation before.

“Everyone can take part, adults, children, families, no matter their stitch ability, using any materials they have at home. This project encourages people to ‘stay home, protect the NHS and save lives’, and I can’t wait to see what everyone does, so please tag @lucymartinembroidery and use the hashtag #CreatorsAssemble so that I can share.”

Over the coming weeks, Lucy will be launching a series of stitch tutorial videos, which will be shared through the @lucymartinembroidery and @UniCreativeArts Instagram feeds.

Each one will showcase a different stitch which can then be used by people young and old, experienced or beginner to create their own NHS embroidery.

Angie Wyman, Royal School course leader for the Degree in Hand Embroidery said: “Our NHS embroidery project shows our appreciation of the amazing work that they are doing throughout this crisis and is a perfect example of how our degree students are able to collaborate and successfully apply their design and hand embroidery skills to different scenarios.”