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NEWBURY NEWS CORONAVI US NEWS

Thursday, April 16, 2020 4

Newbury Weekly News

Tech volunteers can really hack it Hackspace has so far provided masks to 10 NHS trusts

visors on EasterSunday, saying: “We’ve made deliveries because the virus doesn’t take holidays. ” Mr Lindsay said one group member is a paramedic (see feature right), while others had family working in the NHS. NadHack workers are using a design that has come from NottinghamHackspace andtheir local hospital. “They have refined the design and have been able to cut it quite quickly,” Mr Lindsay said. The visors are made from sheets of polypropylene and NadHack has up to two people at once using the gear in the small workshop. Mr Lindsay said: “Looking at our capacitywe couldpotentially cut 250 a day… it costs less than 50p per visor. “It’s really easy to clean. They can be wiped down with sanitiser solution and then reused. ” NadHack has also acquired a large quantity of hand sanitiser from Compton-based gin distillers Hawkridge Distillers, to reduce the rate of infection.

A GROUP of local engineering and technology volunteers has been making and delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) to local hospitals and care homes. Newbury and District Hackspace (NadHack), which specialises in engineering and computing solutions, also wants to work with volunteers in Thatcham to protect as many people as possible. NadHack is based at the Moors Pavilion, Lower Way, where a small team has been 3D printing and laser-cutting visors to be worn in the fight against Covid-

19. NadHack co-founder Andrew Lindsay said the low-cost, easy-to- make masks could potentialyl save lives. The 270 visors made so far have been distributed to 10 NHS trusts, including as far as Wales. Forty visors have also been sent to a care home in Newbury and another load has beendelivered to the West Berkshire Community Hospital. NadHack even delivered 80 Report by JOHN HERRING email john.herring@newburynews.co.uk twitter johnh_nwn

Criticalcareparamediwc ithWiltshireAirAmbulancPeaulRock

Picture: chriswatkinsmedia.co.uk

‘Great to see community behind us’ says critical care paramedic

Alan Lindsay in one of the visors. NadHack has set up an appeal to raise £500 to help cover the cost of making the visors – £240 has been raised since it launched on Tuesda.yMake a donation at https://www.

A WEST Berkshire paramedic has praised the community response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Critical care paramedic with Wiltshire Air Ambulance Paul Rock is a member of Newbury and District Hackspace, which has been making personal protective gear for local hospi- tals and care homes. Mr Rock said: “I think this is such an amazing thing what we are doing and what we can provide, especially to carers. “It’s amazing to help these care staff and people who are vulnerable at the moment.” Mr Rock lives in Thatcham with his wife Victoria and four daughters. He has been a member of Hackspace, a community group specialising in engineering and computing solutions, for two years. He said: “It’s a great bunch of guys. I use it to make a few things for my work and a few keyrings for the girls.” Mr Rock said that shifts with the air ambulance were long and sometimes stressful, but he did as many hours as he could at Hackspace to help out.

“Just a simple thing like this can make a massive difference,” he said. “If there’s anyone out there who can supply products please give it.” Mr Rock has been with the NHS for 19 years, having worked for South Central Ambulance Service, where his wife works, and now South Western Ambu- lance Service. From South Africa, Mr Rock worked for the fire department in a township and said of coron- avirus: “I have never known anything like this. “This makes working in a township look like a walk in the park.” He said: “It’s stressful, but we have adapted as a team. “We have come together, we work very hard together, we look after each other. “It’s not just the job, it’s the mental health side as well. “We have had to adapt to fight in this new environment.” On top of his critical care work Mr Rock has been transferring intensive care unit (ICU) patients from hospitals to major trauma hospitals to free up ICU beds.

“It’s a big demand on us and our families,” he said. “We have got four girls. My wife is a paramedic too. “We have a job and we love what we do and I couldn’t be prouder to work for the NHS and it’s good to give back.” When asked about levels of PPE, Mr Rock said: “From my point of view, we have adequate PPE and it’s a good level. “I obviously work for NHS air ambulance. I know there’s enough kit for us at the moment. “This pandemic has taken a big amount of resources and people.” Mr Rock praised communities across the country and super- markets for their support of key workers. He said: “It’s great to see that the community are behind us, not just the NHS. “It’s lovely that you appreciate – one thing we sometimes forget is fuel and supermarket deliver- ies of stuff that we need.” He said early shopping hours for key workers and vulnerable people had made a huge differ- ence, freeing up time between shifts and being able to spend valuable time with his family.

The group is talking with Thatcham Town Council and its volunteer network to draw up a list of people who will benefit from the equipment. Downe House puts 3D printers to work justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/ nadhack

ment, which is food-safe, less likely to harbour the Covid-19 virus and means that they can easily be cleaned – they can even go in the dishwasher. “Our first batch of 20 face shields, complete with visors made from laminating pouches, were ready on Tuesday. “It can take up to four hours to print just one of the much-needed visor sets, so our 3D printer will be certainly be kept busy over the coming weeks.”

outsourcing the project to private owners of 3D printing facilities and has drawn in 3,400 volun- teers. Its website provides the schematics for the shields and an initial batch of 80,000 are already on their way to hospitals, includ - ing those from Downe House. The school’s marketing and communications manager Sue Lister said: “Based on indepen- dent medical advice, the visors are being printed using PETG fila-

DOWNE House school is doing its bit to stem the coronavirus outbreak, printing face shields for embattled NHS staff. The independent Cold Ash school is using 3D printers normally reserved for lessons and specialist projects. The design and technology department has signed up to 3DCrowd.UK, which is attempting to procure in excess of 186,000 face shields for frontline care workers. To achieve this, the initiative is

Eastbury’s video tribute to NHS EASTBURY villagers have made a movie in support of NHS and frontline care staff. The two-minute video features a drone flight over the community, set to Sir Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem . Images of residents unfurling pro-NHS banners in their gardens and on the streets were captured. Organiser Nina Howe-Davies has worked with villages on a variety of lockdown-related activities to keep people – especially children – entertained through the period of restrictions. Among these was an all-village I-spy tournament, which included the dumping of a six-foot inflatable flamingo in the River Lambourn. “Then Tobi Corney got in touch about doing family drone images, and I thought ‘why not do a full village film?’,” said Mrs Howe-Davies. “Tobi, a licensed drone pilot, agreed and so a village email was sent out that we would launch at 6.30pm on the dot on Good Friday and everyone needed to be outside with banners for the NHS. “It went like a dream – perfect weather condi- tions, the whole village was excited.” The footage was edited by Nathan Horrocks, of Equine Productions. To view the full video, visit https://youtu.be/fZV8D24LqI8

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