Handmade face masks featuring radio sets and cassette tapes are helping to support people in the radio industry who’ve been hit financially by the coronavirus crisis.
Proceeds from the sale of the special masks are being donated to the Radio Academy’s Audio and Radio Emergency Fund, which is helping those facing hardship with grants of up to £1,000.
Funky Masks, which has been set up by Andrea Day, will give a £2.50 donation to the Fund for each pair of masks sold.
Andrea’s career in radio has included spells at INRIX and BBC Radio Merseyside, and she now works as a radio operations manager at BBC News. Alongside work during the lockdown, Andrea and her family have been putting their sewing skills to good use making scrubs for NHS workers – and are now creating face masks in a variety of designs.
Andrea told RadioToday: “We’ve been making hundreds of masks in a variety of styles and themes – from popular cartoon characters to rainbows. So when some friends suggested looking for radio-themed material I thought it would be a great idea to support a really important cause and raise money to help those in our industry who are falling on hard times because of a reduction in work or because they can’t access the government’s financial help.
“For every pair of Sounds Funky masks bought, we’ll be donating at least £2.50 to the Audio and Radio Emergency Fund to help friends and colleagues who are struggling at the moment.”
Click here to buy a pair of Sounds Funky masks and support the work of the AREF.
You can find out more about the Audio and Radio Emergency Fund here, and make a personal donation here.