Meet Worcester's secret army making PPE for frontline virus fight

The courage and sacrifice of those on the frontline in Worcester - be they doctors, nurses, carers, delivery drivers or supermarket workers - has been rightly celebrated.

However, behind the scenes another army has been mustering, made up of everyone from college lecturers to school teachers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

They too have also been essential in the battle to keep people safe during the deadly coronavirus pandemic, ensuring that hospitals, pharmacies, hospices and other care settings are kitted out to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection.

Whether this has been making visors or scrubs bags out of old duvet covers or making food for the most vulnerable, these people have given up their time and their skills for a common cause. Today, we at the Worcester News say thank you to them and applaud all they have done for their community.

Among those to go beyond the call of duty is Heart of Worcestershire College’s (HoW College) engineering lecturer, Stephen Kittner, who has spent the last few weeks 3D printing PPE.

The lecturer set himself a target of making 200 visors ready for the first delivery on Monday, April 6. He has already more than trebled that total, working 14 hours a day to get the job done despite having a young toddler to look after at home.

As of Wednesday this week, Mr Kittner had made over 700 visors, delivered to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch and hospitals based in Hereford, Gloucester, Ross on Wye and Llanelli.

He said: “Thankfully, extra PPE is starting to filter through to hospitals and care homes, so requests this week have been lower than previous.

"The 3D printers have been running well over the past week - often the first parts are started between 7 and 8 am, and the final switch off between 10 and 11pm.”

Speaking on how the last few weeks have been with balancing PPE production and home life, Mr Kittner said: “Seeing how happy people are to receive these visors makes the hard work worthwhile.

"My wife and I have a 20 month old toddler and we have been doing lots with her in between the frequent machine visits. She loves the garden and looking for insects.

"When she naps in the day I have been cutting the clear front visor sheets and marking student assignment work.

"Looking forward; I said that I would make the visors whilst there was a need and as that appears to be in decline now, I have not put any numbers on production for next week – but I have materials to make another 200 still if needed.”

Speaking on behalf of HoW College, Principal Stuart Laverick said: “I have the great pleasure of working with many people whose first reaction to the current crisis was to see how they could help our NHS and Care colleagues, all while handling significant on-line learning and wellbeing support for our students and extra family and community support demands.

"Stephen is an exceptional example of this as he manages all of the above while 3D printing hundreds of protective visors for our NHS; this is a great example of using your skills for the social not private gain. Thank you.”

Over the course of his PPE production, Mr Kittner raised money to help pay for the materials required to produce the visors. So far now £777 was raised on JustGiving. Any excess funds will be donated to the NHS at the end of the project.

Christopher Whitehead Language College in Worcester, working together with other schools, have also been a stalwart in the virus fight, the department of Design Technology setting up its own production line.

The head teacher Neil Morris said: "The department are currently a production line, struggling to keep up with the demand making delivering 200 masks per day 2000 by the end of this week."

Mr Morris said the he hoped to nominate the department for a community award and added: "The visors have been distributed far and wide with lovely, humbling messages, hospitals, pharmacies, care homes of parents who are our key workers."

In the last school newsletter thanks were paid to Mrs Beasley, Miss Hubbard, Miss Smith and Miss Hunt who utilised the school laser cutter to make PPE visors for NHS workers.

Mr Beasely set up a “gofundme” page to generate the money needed to buy the resources and was overwhelmed by the generosity of school community (staff, students, friends and family) who donated nearly £3,400. Because of the scale of the demand, a partnership was set up with Droitwich High School.

The two schools together are co-ordinating a network of ten other schools who are now all making PPE visors.

The team at CWLC had made around 500 visors by April 14, but as a collective, the ten schools made over 2,500 by this date.

As part of a collaboration with Christopher Whitehead Language College, staff from Nunnery Wood High School have worked together in their DT departments to produce essential PPE for nursing staff at St Richard’s Hospice. Materials have been donated from both schools and the masks have been made by a group of volunteer staff using the laser cutters and 3D printers.

Nunnery Wood High School has also donated all of its protective eyewear from its science and DT departments to the NHS. These were delivered by staff to Worcestershire Royal Hospital just before the Easter holidays officially started.

Lisa Stevens, Head of Art and Debbie Gwynne, careers and work experience co-ordinator, have joined ‘Worcestershire for the Love of Scrubs-your NHS needs you’, a Facebook page where you can offer your sewing services to help out.

Mrs Stevens has been cutting up old duvet covers and using her sewing skills to make scrub bags.

She said: “At the end of a shift, hospital workers can transfer their ‘scrubs’ uniform into these bags to bring them home. By pulling the drawstring, the worn uniform remains safely contained within the bag until it can be washed at a high temperature. Given their exposure to Covid-19, it is vital that frontline NHS workers receive all the help they can get to protect themselves and others against the virus. This is one small way that the public can support.”

Mrs Gwynne said: “I started gradually with head bands to help protect those sore ears due to wearing face masks for long periods of time and I have also made scrub bags for putting dirty scrubs in ready for a 60-degree wash.”

Science teacher, Mrs Ruth Campbell has been busy making coasters by recycling maps and has so far raised a total of £128 for the British lung and Asthma UK charity.

Staff have also been volunteering in their own streets, shopping and cooking for neighbours who are unable to leave their homes at the moment.

Mr Lee Boniface, IT teacher, said that his two sons have delivered leaflets to their neighbours, offering help to anyone who is self-isolating or struggling to get out of the house.

A couple of their elderly neighbours responded for chats and collection of prescriptions and shopping.

To donate to the cause visit www.gofundme.com/f/polypropylene-ppe-masks