Kind-hearted Harrogate sisters design and launch fashion range and merchandise celebrating the town's community spirit during lockdown

Phoebe and Hermione Smith have designed a brightly-coloured range of 'Happygate' t-shirts and other merchandise including canvas bags, water bottles, keyrings, trolley coins and baby vests, with the aim of celebrating all the good things that have emerged in our community during this crisis, using the powerful slogan: 'staying apart brought us together.'

Not only that, the girls' eye-catching designs are also raising vital funds for the Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP), which offers an on the ground lifeline for older and vulnerable people all year round, but even more so during these challenging times for all. All profit from all sales goes directly towards supporting the charity's work - click here to visit the online shop to see the designs. Phoebe and Hermione said: "We hope our designs will make people happy, cheer them up, and remind them of the community spirit during lockdown. It's important to remember how many people are looking after each other and how many people want to help. People who are alone or having to stay isolated have not been forgotten about.

"We have used our designing to keep busy at home and we hope other people can try new things to have some fun too, to help this time pass more quickly.

"There are a lot of sad and scary things happening, but staying positive and happy as much as possible makes things a bit easier. It is good to remember that even when things are hard, they can be better when people care about each other. "

Phoebe and Hermione's mother Phillipa, who owns Mrs Smith's Cafe in Jennyfields, said her daughters are determined to do something positive to help the community, having witnessed from their own bedroom windows the astonishing overnight transformation of the Harrogate Convention Centre into a dedicated NHS Nightingale hospital.

Phillipa said: "I’m very proud of the girls’ desire and willingness to try and do something to make a difference in their local community.

"They had lots of fun coming up with the designs and they are so excited to see orders coming in for something they designed themselves, but even more excited to know that each order will support HELP and people in the community who really need it at this time. If we can all keep a positive attitude and motivation we can hopefully achieve some great things to help those who are struggling emotionally or physically at the moment.

"HELP is a fantastic charity that really makes a difference to the everyday lives of people in our community. We see staff and volunteers at the café and know how hard they work and how much they care. I know they are working even harder at the moment with the increased need to deliver essential supplies and moral support to isolated and vulnerable people. They are on the ground in our community making life easier and happier for people every day, and we really hope this project can support them to keep providing these much-needed services."

Phillipa said that while lockdown and social distancing measures can feel like a perpetual and torturous sentence for us all, the legacy of kindness and community spirit will live on well beyond the outbreak itself.

She said: "I hope that people have forged stronger relationships with their neighbours and others in the wider community, and everyone will remember how important their help was to those who needed it.

"There are many isolated people in the community who have been helped, and it would be wonderful if this could continue in more normal times. We know there are people who would dearly appreciate a phone call, a knock on the door, or help with a household task all year round, and hopefully this has highlighted to people that they are able to help, and has created friendships between people that will last.

"The community spirit is fantastic at the moment. Social media is buzzing with people trying to help each other, from things like the amazing Covid Cooperation Facebook group, all those sewing scrubs and making visors for the NHS; people shopping for neighbours or strangers in isolation, right down to the smaller things of friends just checking in on each other to keep spirits up, and sharing tips on home schooling or ensuring to stay in touch with people online.

"Support for local businesses is great too, it’s a tough time for many and its great to see those businesses that are able to stay open seem to be really well supported. It would be fantastic if all of this support and kindness for each other can continue."

Click here to visit the online shop and support Phoebe and Hermione's kind-hearted fundraising venture for the Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP).