Teachers are doing their bit for Blackpool Vic

School staff across Blackpool have been busy making PPE for Blackpool Victoria Hospital

The teachers and technicians and have been at the grindstone, designing and making essential protective equipment for front line staff at Blackpool’s Victoria Hospital.

Making use of empty labs and equipment, they have been putting the idle cad cam machines, 3D printers and laser machines and drawing boards to good use to produce hundreds of face masks and visors.

The teachers have been creative, using items such as laminator pouches for the visors.

The first batch have been handed over and work is ongoing. They are hoping to get up to 1,000 made over the next few weeks.

Schools in the Fylde Coast Academy Trust have handed over 1,000 items of personal protection equipment to the medics, including 1,000 pairs of protective glasses and hundreds of latex gloves.

John Topping, FCAT community relations and estates lead said “We are very pleased that so many of our FCAT academies have the technology to design and manufacture these essential PPE items.

“We know that the safety visors will help save lives”.

Dr Jim Gardner, medical director at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The response we have had from the community has been phenomenal and we would like to thank everyone who has helped us in any

way.”

“We are extremely grateful to the Fylde Coast Academy Trust for thinking about us and supplying us with such valuable equipment for our amazing staff.’’

The school involved include Hodgson High at Poulton, , Montgomery, Aspire, Unity and Armfield Academies in Blackpool and Longridge High School near Preston.