A Lake District gifts brand has raised more than £7000 for charity with a special tea towel celebrating the work of key workers during the coronavirus crisis.

The Herdy Heroes tea towels designed by Herdy, based in Kendal, feature not just NHS workers and nurses, but also delivery drivers, teachers, local celebrities, volunteer rescue workers and others.

Following feedback from Herdy’s social media communities, it was decided all profits from the sale of the tea towels would be split equally between NHS Charities Together, Great North Air Ambulance Charity, Cumbria Community Foundation, and The Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association.

“During lockdown we were amazed by some of the stories we were hearing from healthcare workers, volunteers and folks helping out in their communities," said Diane Hannah, co-founder and director of The Herdy Company.

"So much so we launched a Herdy’s Heroes campaign, each week choosing one of the people nominated on our social media and creating a bespoke ‘Herdified’ artwork of them to say thank you.

“At the end of lockdown we wanted a way of celebrating these wonderful people and came up with the idea of a Herdy Heroes design tea towel to raise funds for charity. We’ve set an ambitious target to raise £100,000 by the end of 2020 and it’s been fantastic to see how people are showing their support; our first delivery sold out within 24 hours.”

The tea towel was launched on July 5 to coincide with the 72nd birthday of the NHS.