Inspired by the recent work of the Ipswich School Design and Technology team, and following an excellent suggestion by Clare Lock, OI Committee member, the Committee have decided to support the School’s efforts by donating £600 to make more reusable PPE visors for local NHS and Healthcare workers to use during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The School DT department were inspired to make the visors after a meeting with the practice manager of Ivry Street Medical Practice, Scott Hanson, who said they would welcome more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They set to work using the laser cutter to make polypropylene frames with acetate slotted in - found across the School from supplies of overhead projector slides. 

The team went from prototype to 50+ visors in one day and were soon receiving requests across Suffolk and beyond. Northgate High School’s DT department have worked alongside Ipswich School, and so too has the community club Ipswich Makerspace. Their combined efforts have resulted in around 1,000 PPE visors being donated to Ipswich Hospital, GPs, the hospice, St John’s Ambulance, pharmacies and care homes. 

The Headmaster, Mr Weaver, said: “I’m so pleased that we have been able to make and supply this PPE equipment for our local medical workers. “We want to play our part, in whatever way we can, in the response to this crisis and we have offered more if required to the growing NHS effort.”

Our local MP, Tom Hunt, also contacted the School to express his gratitude: ‘It is a great credit to the school that you have been able to supply this much needed PPE equipment for local medical workers.’ 

We have been delighted to have been able to help some of our key worker OIs as part of this community effort including Ashwin Bhatt and Hannah Rout (Evans).