Thame school steps up to make PEP face shields

INSTIGATED by Design Technology Technician, Jordan Marsh at Lord Williams’s School, Thame, the school has been busy making PEP face shields for medical and care workers.

After firstly raiding the school cupboards for safety goggles, Jordan identified a face shield based on a proven Swedish design and started 3D printing them four at a time, using both his own machine and one from school. Whilst still printing and maintaining social distancing he started contacting local health workers to plan out how to meet some of the needs, and set up a sterilising and packaging system for the face shields produced.

They soon had four 3D printers up and running virtually full time and started providing face shields to those who have a connection to the school or local community. So they have donated well over 200 to Aylesbury hospitals, 110 to the The Whiteleaf Centre (Oxford Health NHS Trust), 50 to local pharmacies, 40 to Abbeyfield Care Home in Haddenham, 50 to The Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth (London), 150 to Barnet Hospital in London (via a former Lord Williams’s pupil), and 200 to Wokingham Borough Council. Alongside this they also provided some to 3D Printworld in Aylesbury who are also running a successful local initiative, supporting many care organisations working on the front-line.

At the last count they had made over 900 face shields to protect care workers in their battle with Covid-19.

Here are some of comments from grateful users:

“THANK YOU. I cannot begin to tell you what a relief it is to have your face visors in our possession. From everyone at our GP Practice -THANK YOU.”

“What a great thing to be doing, massively appreciated. We are finding it very difficult to obtain supplies of PPE and this is making a real difference – both practically and to morale.” – NHS Supplies

“They’re comfy and practical and you can adjust them to stop them steaming up” GP – Aylesbury