One of Scotland’s leading cultural venues, SWG3 in Glasgow, is spearheading a campaign to help raise £50, 000 for the production of personal protective equipment in Glasgow. The venue is supporting Kelvinside Academy, which has recently transformed its Innovation School building into a PPE manufacturing and distribution point.
So far, Kelvinside, Larbert High School, Caldervale High School and their wider partner schools’ network have produced and delivered more than 5000 custom-built visors to hospitals, surgeries, pharmacies and care homes across Greater Glasgow, including Wishaw General Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Royal Alexandra Hospital. By securing a further £50, 000, the west end school will be able to increase output by an additional 1500 visors per day with the help of local companies.
SWG3, through it’s charitable arm – Clydeside Initiative for Arts – have set up this Go Fund Me page to provide the general public with the opportunity to donate and help properly armour as many NHS and health care workers as possible; output from the school is not only benefiting Glasgow workers, but visors are heading as far as Skye in the Western Isles. In addition to setting up the funding page, SWG3, along with other local businesses, have been working on connecting the school with an army of independent laser cutters and 3D printers to assist with the PPE production.
Earlier this week Kelvinside Academy issued a plea for donations of the basic visor materials including acrylic sheets, with the demand growing as the crisis escalates.
David Miller, Director of the Innovation School at Kelvinside said: “Medical and care staff are on the front-line of this crisis, but to save lives, they themselves need to be protected. It has been humbling to meet the doctors, nurses and care staff behind the need; these visors are in many cases that crucial extra layer protecting front line staff in these incredibly challenging times.”
The network of schools currently involved in this national effort to produce PPE equipment includes Larbert High School, Caldervale High School, Denny High School, Graeme High School and Knox Academy. Many of these schools remain open and operational throughout the Easter holidays to address this urgent need.
Due to the sudden enormous demand, there is a critical shortage of medical PPE at the moment and as the pandemic worsens supplies are dwindling. Medical institutions across the country have reached out to the 3D printing community for help and support in overcoming these shortages.
Although all of the teachers involved in manufacturing the visors are going to continue doing this on a voluntary basis, we are delighted that some of the funds raised will provide much-needed financial assistance to small local businesses for their necessary services and materials; they might otherwise struggle to survive through this crisis.
Any donation would be greatly appreciated.
All funds will go directly to the supply of materials for all visors, production through independent printers and distribution of visors to front line NHS staff and health care workers across the country.
It costs £2 to make 1 visor and we are targeting 25,000 visors with this fund.