Harborough district school is making thousands of lifesaving face shields for NHS workers

A nationally-renowned Harborough district school is making thousands of lifesaving face shields for NHS workers.

Staff and pupils as young as 10 at Leicester Grammar School in Great Glen are pitching in to support the massive effort.

The ultra-resourceful Good Samaritans set up a production line to make the personal protective kit in the school’s design and technology department a fortnight ago.

The astonishing NHS mission of mercy is being spearheaded by Katie Campbell, head of design, engineering and technology.

Inspiring Katie told the Harborough Mail: “We want to do our bit for our magnificent NHS workers.

“The whole country’s coming together and working together to combat the coronavirus – and we are determined to help.”

She added: “We have already made over 3,000 face shields.

“And we are aiming to top 4,000 by the end of this week to help protect even more health professionals.”

Katie saluted Precision Laser Services in Market Harborough and Coba Plastics in Fleckney which are helping out with laser cutting.

“Carlon Plastics and Pretty Little Crafts in Leicester have both been great, too.

“These companies have been such a huge help in making this possible,” she said.

“And they’ll be able to continue making face shields in future when we can no longer do it.

“I also issued an appeal on Facebook for materials and the community response was immense.

“We were immediately inundated with offers of support.

“So many people were asking us what they could do to help – it was so heartwarming.”

Katie said she’s had two or three pupils aged from 10-12 helping her and other staff out every day.

“The children are loving it and been so positive, working with us on this for up to seven hours a day,” said the senior teacher.

“We are getting lots of orders in through word of mouth.

“Everyone is crying out for PPE equipment – even intensive care units where the staff really are in the frontline.

“We’ve been supplying face shields to Leicester General Hospital, Glenfield Hospital and Kettering General Hospital as well as others.”

Pupil Jace Jones, 10, of Great Glen, said: “It makes me feel very good to be able to make these face shields with my friends.

“I’m very proud of what we are doing here – and I’m very proud of the NHS.

“We can all have full faith in the NHS.”

Asked how highly he rated our health service, the remarkable youngster added: “I’d give the NHS 10 out of 10.

“They are fantastic and they are saving lives all the time – so now we have to help them.

“The NHS has a lot of talented people and I’m so pleased we have them.”