As the government has failed to protect care workers with PPE, we're seeing a new cottage industry develop

There are examples all over the country of heroic efforts to source, design and make new personal protective equipment for front line workers

Even as the news seems to be improving, and there’s hope we might soon be able to return to a form of normality, there remain scandalous shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) for care workers. They desperately need access to PPE so that they can carry out and perform their jobs safely without putting their own lives at risk - but some are now having to make or source their own protective gear.

In response, many schools, colleges, households and businesses, large and small, began answering the call to support the nation’s NHS and care home staff and other key workers. The NHS and care sectors get through vast quantities of PPE every day, but every small contribution can help.

Inspired by WWII’s “Saucepans for Spitfires”, Ian Stevens in Cheltenham launched a national campaign to unearth as many materials for making PPE as possible. Ian got the idea from his daughter, whose former school has been using 3D printers to make full-face visors using acetate and elastic donated by pupils and parents. The school has now made more than 2,670 face visors to supply to key workers.

Meanwhile, James Morley, a worker normally based at JCB's headquarters in Staffordshire, has converted his garage to produce vital supplies to help the NHS. His company was so inspired by its efforts that JCB reopened its Innovation Centre so that James, along with his colleagues Joe Mumby and Joe Bagley, could use the company’s 3D rapid prototype machines to assist their efforts. For Mumby, the work has a special significance as he and his family come to terms with the death of his father’s cousin from Covid-19 in recent weeks. So far, the volunteer production lin at JCB has produced 50 visors for distribution to surgeries in the Rocester and Uttoxeter area with the help of material donated by the JCB Academy.

Meanwhile Morley has transformed his rapid prototyping machine in the garage of his home in Belper, near Derby, from making toys for children Alice, eight, and Joshua, five, to producing NHS kit. Having successfully made 20 visors he is now diversifying his domestic production line to make components which convert snorkelling masks for use with hospital ventilators. He is also rapid prototyping so-called "superhero nurse" headbands which make face masks more comfortable for medical staff to wear as they fit on the back of the head rather than on to the back of ears.

James says he has been touched by the generosity of people during his voluntary work – including the donation of half a kilometre of plastic for his project from one well-wisher. He said: “I am glad I can help out and make use of my printer during this national crisis and keep myself active with volunteering during the furlough period. It is amazing what support there is out there and how much people would like to help.”

We’ve also seen the Scotch Whisky Association set up a service to connect different companies and suppliers who need ingredients to make hand sanitiser. They are asking companies to get involved if they have the raw ingredients in which to make the hand sanitiser what is so vital at the moment for front line workers.

What we're witnessing, in the absence of a government that has fully protected its people, is cottage industry emerging. Those who can are finding very practical ways to help those on the front line who need support. The problem is, a cottage industry is just that unless it's able to scale up. But that's what many small projects are trying to do now.

The Scottish Whisky Association is now calling on any company that can supply materials or packaging to its sanitiser drive, or those who can help distribute the product to those in need, to get in touch to expand the their efforts nationally. They're also asking organisations with front line workers who need hand sanitiser to make contact with the company via its new 'coronavirus portal' and make a request.

This is how a cottage industry develops. In this emergency, we see that many people have the necessary equipment to make the masks and other items but they need the raw materials to do so. Others have the materials, but not the manufacturing infrastructure. This is where you can step in: we know that many other small and medium sized companies will have many kinds of materials that could be used to make this urgently needed PPE.

In Cheltenham, Stevens says he wants to inspire people all over the UK to volunteer to do what he has been doing - to contact local volunteer PPE makers, ask them if they need any materials and then contact local businesses by email asking them if they have spare materials they can donate. These volunteers can also use social and local media to ask individuals to search their cupboards for all kinds of materials ranging from clear acetate for visors to elastic of many kinds for visors and scrubs and donate them to their local volunteer makers.

Such a project does need proactive volunteers in every town and city in the UK who can run such enterprises by themselves. But these trailblazers have shown how that is possible.

Marcus Roberts is a relationship manager for the food charity The Felix Project. To support Ian Stevens' project email Ian@bespoke-impact.com.