Staff produce protective equipment for frontline workers

A team from a York secondary school have used their design and technology equipment to help in the fight against the Coronavirus outbreak.

Staff from Manor CE Academy have used their laser cutter and workshop space to manufacture over 150 protective visors for NHS and care workers in the city.

Rich Cooper, Associate Assistant Principal and Director of Learning – Design Technology, Art & Computing at Manor, was inspired to help when he saw news coverage a few days ago about a similar project taking place at a school in Coventry. After checking a number of online forums, he quickly found designs and modifications for the PPE visors which had been shared by other design and technology teams across the country.

Rich said: “I wanted to do something to help during this ongoing Coronavirus crisis, and I know colleagues felt the same. I asked for a few volunteers to help with manufacture and distribution and was overwhelmed with the response. We limited the production team to four so that we could maintain safe social distancing whilst we worked, but many other colleagues helped by donating materials and offering help with delivering the visors once they were completed.

“We spent about five hours on Monday producing the visors after we’d modified the design slightly to work on our machinery. Huge credit goes to all those who have shared their designs and innovations for these visors. The team have been fantastic, making more than 150 visors on the day. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we are so happy and proud to have played a part in supporting our front line workers.”

The visors have now been collected or delivered to York District Hospital, Front Street Surgery, to consultants carrying out home visits and Ebor Court Care Home.

Manor CE Academy is part of the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, alongside nine other schools in York and North Yorkshire. Some of their partner schools are also contributing to the community effort during the crisis: Barlby High School has donated safety goggles normally used in Science lessons, to Goole Hospital where they are now being used by ward staff and community teams; Graham School in Scarborough are participating in a penpal project with children of keyworkers writing to children as far away as the Cayman Islands; and keyworker students and staff at George Pindar School also in Scarborough, have been creating Easter greetings for staff and residents of a local care home.

7 April 2020