Borders designer Dave raises more than £2,200 for NHS with rainbow sticker sales

The rainbows have become emblems of hope while social distancing measures remain in force, and they have spurred one Kelso busines boss on to raise more than £2,200 for the National Health Service.

Davie Howieson, owner of DH Design and Print in Sprouston Road, has sold more than 1,000 colourful stickers in the hope of raising cash for the Borders General Hospital in Melrose.

“We saw that people had been drawing rainbows and sticking them in their windows, and we wanted to evolve that idea so that people could put rainbows anywhere from car bumpers to wheelie bins and raise money for the NHS at the same time,” the 29-year-old said.

“It’s something we thought we’d only sell a few of, but it has grown and grown.

“It’s good doing something that can actively help when you feel otherwise quite helpless staying at home.”

Dave has been printing the stickers at his Sprouston Road workshop, opened two years ago, before taking them home for his wife Claire and daughter Honey-Rose, 12, to help package them for posting.

“I thought if I could raise £20, that would be a start,” he added. “We printed 300 stickers to begin with but have sold more than 1,000 now.

“It’s brilliant seeing where we’re delivering them all to. They’ve gone to Arbroath, Belfast, Wales, Dover and Portsmouth.

“I don’t think there’s been an area in the Borders that we haven’t posted to.

“We’ve about 300 left in stock and expect them to go soon, but we’ll just keep printing them until everyone who wants them has one.

“We donate all the materials, trying to raise as much as we can.”

More than £1,000 was raised in the first few days of production and his total has since climbed to £2,200.

The stickers, costing £2.50 each, are available online at www.dhdesignandprint.co.uk