Potteries Educational Trust provides local care community with PPE

Potteries Educational Trust members, The City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College and Werrington Primary School have been working hard since April to make full-face visors. Staff have been getting creative with their laser cutters and 3D printers to set up production lines to provide local care establishments with personal protective equipment (PPE) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, it has been very well documented that PPE is in short supply. This equipment is undoubtedly needed to help reduce the spread of the virus and to protect our frontline workers. 

Whilst the government continues to source PPE both nationally and internationally, manufacturing firms, SME’s and individuals who have the knowledge and resources are helping to make equipment to donate to local care professionals. The Sixth Form College and Werrington Primary School are delighted to announce that Lee Bell, the Sixth Form’s Curriculum Support Technician and Hannah Turner, Werrington Primary’s Year 5 Teacher, have both risen to the challenge to produce and donate face visors to the local community.

Over the past few weeks, Lee has been dedicating his time in college to produce full-face visors that are strong, clear, have an adjustable headband for comfort and are easy to use. His commitment was apparent whilst he continued to work throughout the Easter bank holiday.

Lee has been assembling boxes of PPE equipment to include high face visors and further equipment like gloves, goggles and aprons that have been donated by our science department. Lee says “I’m currently making the face visors on my own due to shortages around Stoke-on-Trent and I have the skills and the equipment to help. I am just glad that I can help the local community”.

Werrington Primary initially enlisted the help of Madeley High School to set up the 3D printers at the end of April. Hannah promptly got to work and on her first day constructed 16 visors. A week after starting out Hannah recruited her family to help which enabled her to turnaround more face visors.

The community spirit in Werrington has been palpable from the start of this plight. Parents have even joined in with the mission to help the school by making the headbands that attach to the visor on their own 3D printers. Parents have also supplied the school with PVC, help that is very much needed to keep Hannah’s construction going. Hannah commented, “We are thrilled to be able to use our 3D printers to make face visors for our local NHS and care professionals, there is a great community spirit at a time when we need each other the most”.

So far both Potteries Education Trust Academies have produced over 650 visors and the recipients of these donations include; The Chimes Nursing Home in Penkhull, West Croft Nursing Home in Stoke, Hanford Court in Hanford, The Royal Stoke Hospital, The Dougie Mac, Werrington Pharmacy, Werrington Village Surgery, Burleigh House and Wetley Manor Residential Homes and they are one of a number of suppliers to kit the Hull Royal Infirmary. 

The Potteries Educational Trust would like to thank Lee Bell and Hannah Turner for all of their hard work and devotion. Their dedication to this project has been evident throughout the pandemic so far.

They both plan to produce more full-face visors over the coming weeks to continue their donations to our local community.