Notre Dame Sixth Form in Leeds using school workshops to make hundreds of PPE masks for care workers

While Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College has been closed to students, three members of staff from the design and technology department have donned their own personal protective equipment to go into the school workshops and make the masks.

They have so far sent out 400 masks and have had a request for 500 more.

The masks are generally being used by care homes or care workers but the school, based at St Mark's Avenue, says it is open to trying to meet requests from other places that need the PPE equipment.

Making the masks are teacher, Ian Granger who is head of product design and has been at the school 16 years, product design teacher Carol Sheward and technician Shane Dolan. The idea came about after Mr Granger's wife, who works in the NHS, commented on the shortage and they noticed that other schools were doing similar things.

The masks are made using plastic sheets from school stocks that can be curved to fit around the face and a head strap to fasten them is then attached.

Continued Care, a home-care services firm in Harrogate and Green Acres Care Home, just outside the city centre, as well as Headingley Nursing Home, have benefited and a consignment has also been sent to the Integrated Community Reablement and Assessment Service (ICRAS) in Liverpool which helps to provide access to community and social care services across the city.

Richard Hall, the Marketing Manager at Notre Dame said: "Primarily it seems to be care homes at the minute that are taking us up but we are open to anyone who will find them suitable. Ian has said he will be busy for the next few weeks and the school is really proud of them for the work they are doing.

"They are keeping a two metre social distance and following procedures and have their own PPE while they are making them. There is nobody else in the college."

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