‘Overwhelmed by support for NHS’

From making scrubs and PPE to donations and a fundraising singathon’ help is still flooding in for key workers, carers and the NHS from the Peterborourough area By PT reporters

NHS staff in Peterborough say they have been overwhelmed by the continuing gifts and support from the public during the fight against coronavirus.

Staff at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust said they have been overwhelmed and humbled with the kindness and support that they have received during the pandemic, with local community groups providing resources for their local hospitals.

Community groups such as the Scouts, Guides, Friends of Peterborough Hospital, The WI and the national Facebook group called ‘For The Love of Scrubs’ and many others have donated resources such as scrubs, hats, caps, laundry bags and ear savers to provide the much needed extra equipment.

Items donated include:

Scrubs – tops and bottoms

• – 400 sets labelled and laundered ready to distribute

Scrub hats and caps – 478

•

Laundry bags – 1,218

•

Ear savers (plastic/3D

•

printed) – 1,183

Ear savers (knitted or

•

fabric) – 190

Messenger bags – 294

•

Headbands – 92

•

Local schools have used their textiles rooms to cut fabric and sew items together and acted as delivery hubs for large amounts of fabric utilising collections by volunteers.

Aragon Direct Services, the waste removal company run by Peterborough City Council, has been co-ordinating “The Scrub Bus” to transport donations.

Kate Martin, trust soft

FM monitoring officer, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the feeling of community spirit and support. We are so incredibly grateful to the individuals, groups and companies who have diverted their energy, time and resources into supporting our hospitals and staff.

Eric Fehily, estates and facilities director, added: “These are unprecedented and uncertain times for us all but the enormous outpouring of generosity and kindness that we have experienced in recent weeks is truly exceptional.

“We are proud to support, and in turn be supported by, our local communities and we are sincerely thankful for every kindness that has been shown to us.

“However, as we approach recovery stage we don’t need any additional donations but would like to say a massive thank you and express how grateful for the extraordinary response from staff and members of the public.”

Inspired by his wife’s commitment and hard work as a doctor in the NHS, Ashan Dharamsi decided to buy 3D printers to create PPE (personal protective equipment).

And through social media posts he put out, Ashan was soon inundated with requests for face shields. He admitted that he “couldn’t keep up with the demand”. So Ashan, with permission from his wife, purchased another 3D printer! He said: “I just wanted to do my bit for the community. My wife works for the NHS, she is a doctor so I see how much work they do. I just want to do my bit for the community and give back to the NHS.”

Having created 500 masks so far, donations have been made to the Neonatal intensive care unit and Amazon Children’s Ward at Peterborough City Hospital, and the Cavell Centre. Not stopping there, Ashan will be donating any more masks to care homes across the city.

Seeing the smiles and relief on people’s faces makes it all worth it for Ashan, although he does not think he will be having a third 3D printer installed as there is not enough room!

Staff and pupils at Prince William School in Oundle have been helping to make visors and scrubs for local NHS staff treating patients with coronavirus. Staff from the school’s art, design technology and engineering department have been supporting an initiative called the Beds Visor Project which supplies muchneeded personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline health workers.

Head of design Liz Bull has produced more than 380 head bands for full face shields which have been donated to hospitals, ambulance workers and care homes, while textiles teacher Judith Richardson and design technology technician Fiona Jones have been making scrubs for NHS staff.

Ms Bull said: “We are working with a co-ordinator from a council in Bedfordshire who has organised a large team of schools to make head visors. I am making the head supports for the visors, cutting them out on a small laser cutter.

“They are then picked up and assembled with the front

Hospital staff are thanking the public for their support during the coronavirus pandemic

Ashan Dharamsi with his 3D printers

Prince William Year 13 pupil Megan Swales with the scrubs she has made and, inset, lab technician Fiona Jones

Chez and her sons Theo (left) and Sonny (right)