King’s Ely Steps Up With PPE

King’s Ely, Cambridgeshire, has been able to make and donate more than 800 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) face shields to frontline and key workers in the region.

Every single one of the protective shields has been made by Patrick Carberry, who is Head of Design and Technology at King’s Ely. Patrick has worked tirelessly to make the shields since the Coronavirus lockdown began and, thanks to support from the school’s operations team and coverage on its social media platforms, Patrick and the school have been able to donate them to a whole host of frontline workers and organisations.

Patrick, who has worked at King’s Ely for 12 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.’

Recipients so far include local pharmacies and GP surgeries, local 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 nearby Huntingdon.

‘I would like to say thank you to King’s Ely and Patrick Carberry for the donation of 50 face visors to Hinchingbrooke Hospital,’ said Caroline Walker, Chief Executive at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust. ‘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.’

In addition to the hundred of face shields manufactured, King’s Ely have raised more than £500 for NHS Charities Together with two Zoom quizzes since lockdown began.

Find King’s Ely’s online listing here