Special gift from a Cawston wife to the Pope in Rome
A woman who has raised thousands of pounds making masks during the pandemic is all smiles after finding out the Pope will be wearing her handiwork.
As of March 2020, Lyn Fairchild, of Howard’s Way, Cawston, has made 1,766 face masks and has received donations of over £ 6,500 for the 15th century village parish church, St Agnes – a place she frequents for over 30 years.
Mrs Fairchild used the skills her mother and aunts taught her when she was just a child, to make laundry bags for NHS staff and masks on the sewing machine bought for her by her daughter Anne.
Lyn Fairchild pictured at her home in Cawston with her homemade masks
– Credit: Archant
But upon learning that one of her masks would be hand-delivered to the Pope, the retired hairdresser said she was “very surprised and delighted”.
She added: “Despite the easing of restrictions, a lot of people still choose to wear a face mask, so I’m now working on a Christmas line that I still love to create and will do so for as long as needed.”
This month the Pope received gifts from Norfolk by the Right Reverend Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, who was joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a private audience with the Pope at the Vatican in Rome.
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There is a tradition of exchanging gifts on these occasions, and Archbishop Justin Welby presented the Pope with a certificate of a charitable donation made to Bees Abroad, as well as a jar of honey from Bishop Graham of his Norwich-based garden, as well as Mrs. The Fairchild bee-shaped face mask.
Earlier this week, the Right Reverend Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, joined the Archbishop of Canterbury in a private audience with the Pope at the Vatican in Rome
– Credit: © Vatican Media
Mrs Fairchild, who is also churchwarden, said: “I was very surprised and delighted to receive a message telling me that Bishop Graham intended to give the Pope one of the bee masks that I made him, as well as a jar of his honey. ”
Reverend Andrew Whitehead, team vicar in Cawston added: “I don’t think anyone would have imagined that one of Lyn’s masks would end up with Pope Francis. His efforts are a prime example of how faith can be expressed through compassionate action in the world. ”