Staff at Banff Academy in Aberdeenshire have created more than 1,000 face shields for frontline workers. Principal Teacher of Design & Technology, Caroline McFarlane, and colleagues Caitlin Paton and Roisin Steele made the equipment using materials in school and a laser cutter.
While adhering to the recommended social distancing proved somewhat of a challenge, the trio have been making around 30 masks an hour and more than 1,400 masks have been distributed to the community by the council. The equipment will now be distributed locally by the authority. An appeal on social media for more materials has enjoyed a truly tremendous response and will ensure the team can work towards its target of creating many hundreds of face shields in the near future.
Working in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council colleagues, the plan now is to create little ‘hubs’ where similar manufacturing could be introduced. Live Life Aberdeenshire has donated 3D printers for use, while economic development teams are looking to source businesses in the area which could produce face shields or provide protective equipment for their community.
Principal Teacher of Design & Technology, Caroline explained: “There is such strong demand for this sort of equipment that we really wanted to do something to support all those who are working so hard on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19.
“The face shields – although not to medical grade – will provide a basic physical barrier for people who are continuing to work in a variety of frontline-facing services across our local communities.
“The response from our social media appeal for additional supplies has been outstanding and I would like to thank everyone for their support. We’ve had offers of help from across the North-east and some people have been making purchases online and getting it sent to the academy which is just terrific.”
As a result of their efforts, Banff Academy is now in the running to win an award and is one of the finalists in the Education category in the Prospect 13 New Day Awards, which seek to shine a light on individuals and organisations who have gone above and beyond during the current challenging times caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19).