School donates hundreds of PPE face shields to frontline workers

King’s Ely have made and donated more than 800 personal protective equipment (PPE) face shields to local frontline and key workers.

Each of the protective shields were made by head of design and technology Patrick Carberry, who has been working tirelessly to make the shields since the coronavirus lockdown began.

Patrick, who has worked at King’s Ely for twelve years, said: “It has been extremely rewarding and a huge privilege to be able to make these face shields.

“I feel this is just a small gesture for our medical and care services, who are all doing a wonderful job in the local community during what is a very challenging time.”

Local pharmacies and GP surgeries, nursing homes and care providers, including Mihomecare Cambridgeshire, Love Life Care in Ely and The Edmund Trust, supermarket staff, and frontline staff at Ely’s Princess of Wales Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon have all received the handcrafted visors.

Tina Dario, service manager for Radis Community Care - Cambridgeshire Extra Care Schemes, and who received some shields from King’s Ely, said: “Thank you so much for these face shields. My staff were all delighted and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this act of kindness.”

Caroline Walker, chief executive at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The way people have come forward to show their support for our staff has been phenomenal.

“It means a lot to our staff and knowing they have all this support from our local community keeps them going while they care for our patients and each other in such unprecedented times.”

Staff at King’s Ely have also come together (virtually) for two ‘Zoom’ quizzes since lockdown began.

The quizzes, which were organised by Patrick Green, housemaster of school house and PE teacher, and Nell Bond, head of Key Stage 2 mathematics, and enrichment and extension coordinator at King’s Ely Junior, have raised more than £500 for NHS Charities Together.