A PRINTING company in Peebles has swapped its usual sign-making jobs to make stickers supporting the NHS and key workers.

Crawford and Katy Carrick-Anderson, who own cca-signs Ltd, decided that while they cannot work as normal, they would raise money for NHS Borders' charity 'The Difference'.

"We designed a big 'Superman NHS + key worker' for our house to show our support and had a lot of interest in it," said 49-year-old Crawford.

"So we thought, why not make some stickers to raise money for NHS staff and key workers.

"I made a box specially for the stickers and put them at the end of our driveway so it was easy for people to see them.

"I’m trying to create a limited edition printed sticker every week.

"This week will be a combined Superman and Wonder Woman – but who knows what it will be next week."

Crawford has been surprised by the response to the stickers, finding himself having to make more than he expected.

He said: "There has been a great response. A lot of people commenting on Facebook.

"I’m not sure how many stickers we’ve produced but it’s over 400. The first day we put the stickers out, it went a bit mad. I had to cut more stickers in the afternoon.

"We sometimes had people waiting in the morning for us to put the box out."

And with the stickers being so popular, the couple have been able to donate over £1,000 to The Difference.

"So far we’ve raised around £1,200 since April 13 when we first started," said Crawford. "We wanted to find a local charity that supported NHS staff and key workers and were pointed towards The Difference (www.thedifference.org.uk/covidappeal).

"We don’t have a fundraising goal in mind. It will all depend on how long lockdown continues for and when I am able to return to work."

But despite being able to raise money for the NHS with his trade, Crawford's business has taken a hit from COVID-19.

Before the lockdown, Crawford would work on projects such as signs and vehicle decals for companies across the Borders.

He explained: "I’ve had my sign-making business since 2005.

"It’s always had its quiet times and busy times, but at the moment my work has totally dried up.

"It’s normally my busiest time of year but all work requests just suddenly stopped. I’m not expecting it to return to normal any time soon.

"I just hope all the local businesses can get through this and we can become a thriving community again."

However, while Crawford and Katy – who runs KCA Training, a first aid training company – have been forced to stay home like others across the region, they are enjoying their time together with their children, Corran, 17, and Emily, 15.

"It’s been really nice to be together at home as a family," said Crawford. "Normally at this time of year we are travelling all over Britain to take our kids to mountain bike races every weekend so it’s strange to be at home but we have enjoyed it and made the most of our time.

"A lot of gardening has been happening as well as printing and cutting stickers every morning. It’s kept us busy and motivated."

For more information on Crawford and Katy's stickers, you can visit the cca-signs Ltd Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ccasigns/