PPE Production Line
We are proud to report that on the back of Swanage School student Eden Shaffer working at home to design and create a Personal Protective Mask on his own 3D printer, we started using the School's Design & Technology classroom and equipment to produce Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to front-line workers across Dorset and further afield during the pandemic.
Eden shared his work with Design & Technology teacher Mr Duke, which sparked a collaboration between staff and students, using school resources to fabricate protective face masks. The head bands were made by laser cutting separate pieces which slotted together and were attached to a piece of acetate.
The first batch of 70 or so masks were made and delivered on 6 April 2020, quickly followed by more and more until over 900 were made and distributed to a wide range of organisations across Purbeck and Dorset, and further afield too. Recipients included doctors' surgeries, care homes, hospitals, pharmacies, ambulance crews, local businesses, shops and schools.
[Photo: sent to us with thanks from Bristol Ambulance Crew who wished to passed on their thanks to everyone involved in supporting front-line services.]
[Photo: sent to us with thanks from Bournemouth and Salisbury Hospital]
Our sincere thanks to those who gave donations to the School to support this project, including to the Freemasons of Dorset for their kind donation of £500 for the purchase of additional materials.
The work of schools, including The Swanage School, in making PPE for front-line workers was featured in the Bournemouth Echo on 12th April 2020 - read the article here - and on BBC South Today on 21st April.
Well done Eden - brilliant work!
"On behalf of the ward managers and all the team at Westhaven Hospital - Radipole Ward, we would like to send out a big thank you to everyone who was involved in the production of face shields for the ward. We are overwhelmed by your generosity, thank you so much, keep up the fantastic work!"
"Thank you so much for making the visors for us to use on the maternity unit. The midwives, doctors and support workers are very grateful, and impressed by your creativity and ingenuity" [Jo Hartley, Head of Midwifery]
"Thank you so much so sending us your brilliantly designed face shields. We are so impressed by both the initiative and creativity of your DT team. We have used the shields both at King's and the PRUH our sister hospital, in Kent, on the Covid wards there. There have been many positive comments on the practicality of the shields and how generous it was of you to give them to us. A huge thank you to you!" [Marie-Claire and the Neurology departments at King's College Hospital, London, and the Princess Royal University Hospital, Kent]
