IN between dashing across London to deliver foodstuff, hand sanitisers and other essentials to key workers at a hospital and being on call for the arrival of surplus vegetables to be redirected to community kit-chens, the indefatigable Syebvonne Nguyen nee Looi, still had time to sew, bag and bloom a mask tree in her driveway in South London.
It is no mean feat, but this mother of five, who hails from Ipoh, makes it all seem like a walk in the park, even after a sleepless night sewing hundreds of masks for the community.
When I wanted to help "bloom" her tree that made its debut on June 13, two days before the government made it mandatory for everyone to wear masks or face coverings especially when using public transport, I risked being left high and dry outside her house if she was called out for some emergency community work.
But the temperamental English weather cleared for a perfect blooming session and I had the Actimel winner of Everyday Hero almost to myself for the whole afternoon. I said "almost" because neighbours and passersby on bicycles and in cars would stop for a chat and buy her beautiful homemade masks.
They had all read about the tree in the local papers as well as on social media and had dropped by to lend their support. Many bought fun-themed ones for children or grandchildren and others opted for the ultraviolet colour changing fabric or the glow-in-the-dark ones that Syebvonne had cleverly chosen to make mask-wearing exciting.
Now with the easing of the lockdown in the United Kingdom, mask trees have been sprouting everywhere so that the community can have disposable masks for their everyday use.
Syebvonne talked me through some of the logistics in the preparation of a mask tree.
When she receives donations of duvet covers and bed sheets, she'd leave them in the conservatory for a few days before washing them in high temperature.
"My house is like a big laundromat," she admits.
Once she has cut and sewn the masks, she puts them in carefully chosen biodegradable sachets, colour coded for age and size. These are never to be opened or touched again until they are displayed on the tree outside her semi-detached residence. The same treatment is given to masks sewn by her volunteers.
"I have a system that works — on which day the materials arrived and who donated them.
"So it takes a while before I can bloom a tree, unless I am the one who had sewn it and I know that I have not been out and therefore I am clear (of any infection), and then I will put my masks out," explained Syebvonne of the project that she had funded from proceeds of her Nyonya kueh- making venture, The Little Kueh Company.
"To make it sustainable, we need donations," said the 41-year old, whose volunteer work has always hinged on the 'paying back to the community' principle as she believes her adoptive country had given her Vietnamese-born husband, Quang, who was a refugee, a great opportunity to make a successful life here.
In spite of the uncertainty of the future, people were still very generous. Syebvonne has many heartwarming stories of people giving up what little they have to put on her donation table, as a mark of appreciation to key workers such as the paramedics.
Syebvonne is a co-founder of Community Champions with Nisha Thiru, and together they formed a group of volunteers who have provided more than 2,600 masks and care packages to hospitals and care homes.
So, the day went pretty well with people donating the minimum £2 for a mask with some still coming back for more.
"When the word spread, more people became interested. Tomorrow (Saturday), because of the number of masks that we can get ready from volunteers, we are going to have seven community mask trees in South London. And that is something that is amazing," beamed the former Montessori teacher.
"The good thing is that my intention is not just about the masks, but it is also the idea of the community spirit. I was hoping that there would be others who would host a tree near their area, and that will encourage people to talk to each other.
"I hope that after the pandemic, the community spirit will become stronger. I hope that this tree here will pollinate the blooming of another tree somewhere else. So it has been successful. This is the first in Southwest London."
One woman who came by to say hello had only plaudits for Syebvonne.
"She is amazing. She is a brilliant community worker and we are proud to have her as a neighbour," said the woman.
In all her community work, it's a family affair for the Nguyen household. Children were roped in to do face shields and sometimes help out with the deliveries.
Syebvonne has set her sights on making this project even bigger. With news that schools will reopen soon, she is already planning to make masks for schoolchildren who take public transport to schools. She is always a step ahead in her planning.
"And then, there's a cooking project," she said with a twinkle in her eyes for cooking is indeed her passion.
My trudge across to South London was not in vain. After days of sewing and stitching, I finally saw my Malaysian batik masks taking pride of place on Syebvonne's mask tree. Certainly a first for any mask tree in Britain.