Charities get almost 10,000 face visors
Charities and groups have been handed almost 10,000 free visors made and donated by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.
The Inchinann plant has distributed 9,500 visors to local and national charitable organisations and companies including Erskine Care Home, Engage Renfrewshire and the Scottish SPCA.
At the height of lockdown in May, the NMIS imported material from Sweden and got to work on producing prototype visors with the help of social enterprise Tsukure Hub.
Crawford Cullen, senior manufacturing engineer at NMIS and lead on the visor project, said: “Throughout lockdown the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, in collaboration with colleagues across the University of Strathclyde, has worked tirelessly to use the team’s expertise and capabilities to help society deal with the Covid- 19 pandemic.
“The manufacture of face visors is only one element of this work.
“For us, it was crucially important that anything we made had to be done to the highest standard to ensure the safety of all end-users.
“This is why we went through the certification process and we are delighted now to be able to play a part in helping organisations of all sizes, from across the country, operate safely in the weeks and months ahead.“
NMIS donated 2,000 visors to Erskine care homes in Bishopton.
Dougie Beattie, from Erskine, said: “We are immensely grateful for this donation of visors from the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.
“Items such as these visors are essential in helping Erskine to continue looking after our residents throughout the Covid- 19 pandemic. As a charity we are reliant on donations of this type to help keep our residents and staff safe and provide the exceptional level of care our veterans deserve.”
To help reach smaller charities, the NMIS team worked with groups, including Engage Renfrewshire, to give out another 1,800 visors.
Iain Cunningham, below, from Engage Renfrewshire, said: “I would like to say a big thank you to the Nat i o na l
Manufacturing Institute Scotland and the University of Strathclyde.
“This is a perfect example of how collaboration between academia, public sector and the third sector can bring about change and respond to local needs.
“The impact that Covid-19 has had on the local community is there for everyone to see. However, with positive support and joint working we have been able to distribute 1,000 visors to local charities.”
After receiving 1,000 visors, Scottish SPCA deputy head of field operations Graeme Innes said: “We have continued to deliver our vital services over the pandemic and these essential items have kept our teams safe when providing animals with the best possible care.
“The visors have been used by the staff in our animal rescue and rehoming centres and dedicated national wildlife centre and our vets have found them invaluable to carry out routine checks and emergency operations.
“Our frontline has worn the face visors when attending incidents and rescuing animals in need.
“We are so thankful for this incredible donation, it has allowed our teams across the society to continue to operate and protect members of the public and themselves.”
The NMIS team also worked with industry members to distribute the visors across the country in boxes donated by Smurfit Kappa Corrugated.
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