Just look at this mum's amazing tribute to hundreds of key workers - and it's so good it is going on display

Denise Creamer, 33, has spent more than 150 hours in creating an amazing thank you in cross-stitch work.

She has spent up to three hours a night stitching the names of key workers on to fabric and she has done it for weeks during the lockdown.

At first, she planned to only include the key workers from the Hesleden area and ended up with a completed artwork which had 85 names on it, all from names which were suggested to her by the public.

But then she got a request to do the same for key workers in Blackhall and that meant even more dedicated and beautiful work.

“That one has got 174 names on it so far and I have got another 45 to go,” said Denise who has been working on the project for six weeks.

Denise, from Hesleden, utilised the stitchwork skills she first learned in Brownies to create the beautiful creations.

She also explained: “I thought I would do it so that it is always there for people to look at. I did it as a way of thanking the key workers for what they have done.

“I had a big piece of material and I had a few names so I did it for Hesleden.”

More and more names were given to Denise and she ended with the names of 85 people doing all sorts of key roles.

Denise added: “I was asked to put some names for Blackhall on the Hesleden work. I decided to do one for Blackhall as well.”

The mum-of-two does all of the work after her boys – Kalvin, 12, and Kristin, 4 – go to bed.

She said: “The first one took me two weeks and the Blackhall one has taken me four weeks so far. I wait until the boys have gone to bed and then I will do three to four hours of work a night.”

Denise does all of this while she is also a carer for Kristin who has ectodermal dysplasia which is a group of closely related disorders. Dysplasia refers to a change in the usual pattern of growth.

Kristin also had to have open heart surgery two years ago to repair a whole in his heart.

She said: “He is fine and he takes each day as it comes.

Denise’s amazing stitchwork is set to go on display with venues in both Hesleden and Blackhall being considered to show them.

Do you know of someone doing amazing things during the lockdown? Tell us more by emailing [email protected] or emailing the Hartlepool Mail Facebook page.

To read more inspiring stories, as well as finding out the latest coronavirus updates and case numbers, visit the Hartlepool Mail website.

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