CORONAVIRUS: Schools and colleges praised for PPE donations

Staff from The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College technology department used their state-of-the-art CO2 laser cutter and specialist skills to fashion 450 protective visors from polypropylene and acetate sheeting left over from a previous school 

A total of 100 visors have since been donated to Hartlepool Borough Council in support of its effort to source PPE for local care homes, while the rest have been given to the North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.

One of the visors made by The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College

Protective eyewear has also been donated to the Council by High Tunstall College of Science, St Hild’s Church of England School and Hartlepool College of Further Education.

Jill Harrison, the Council’s Director of Adult Services and Community Based Services, said: “Sourcing adequate supplies of PPE has proved to be a major challenge, so the support we have received from local schools and colleges has been absolutely invaluable.

“I’d like to thank them all for their kind donations, but a special mention must go to Technology Technician Steff Hunt and her colleagues at English Martyrs for making such a large amount of PPE using left-over storeroom materials.”

The visors produced at English Martyrs were based on a design originally created by Dominic Morrow, owner of tech design company Smoke and Mirrors, who reached out to schools and technicians via various tech websites and Twitter and urged them to collaborate and make as many as possible.

The team, led by Steff, also created 700 extender strips for face masks, allowing masks to be fastened behind the head rather than around the ears which can be painful.

Some of the extenders have been distributed locally, including to nurse Charley Walsh who is a former student of the sixth form college, while others are on their way to Liverpool at the request of Dr. Becky Bainton, also an ex-student.

Deputy Headteacher Paul Dickson said: “We are so proud of Steff for taking the lead on this project and everyone else who has supported her.

“The problem of sourcing adequate supplies in PPE is well documented so, as a school, we are delighted to be able to help hard-pressed NHS and social care staff who are doing an amazing job on the frontline of the fight against coronavirus.

“Unfortunately, Steff and her colleagues ran out of materials after making 450 visors and haven’t been able to source any more acetate. Should she manage to obtain some more then her intention is to absolutely make some more.”