​Stroud and King Edward VI Schools support the NHS

Stroud School has taken seriously its need to contribute to the wider fight against coronavirus and has joined forces with its senior school, King Edward VI School (KES) in Southampton, to contribute to the community effort to support the NHS, responding to the demand for more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Members of Stroud School staff have been integral to the efforts being made at King Edward VI School to use school resources and equipment to produce hundreds of items of personal protective equipment for local NHS hospitals, surgeries and social care facilities.

King Edward VI Design and Technology Department’s laser cutter has been working overtime with more than 100 visors manufactured and distributed to NHS workers at Southampton Children’s Hospital and other local NHS hospitals, surgeries, and social care facilities so far.

Keen to use their resources to supply more vital equipment to frontline workers, the volunteers then sourced and ordered appropriate materials and sewing patterns to add surgical gowns and scrubs to the production schedule. After the prototypes were approved and deemed fit for purpose by medical professionals, a team of 11 staff volunteers fired up the sewing machines at home or at school. For those isolating at home, the raw materials were cut to the correct specifications and packaged to be assembled and collected, whilst several sewing stations were set up on the school site to create a production hub which met social distancing regulations.

The volunteers have also been offering a local delivery service to isolated and vulnerable residents in the area, alongside assisting staff at Southampton City Mission to distribute to food banks. A number of pairs of gloves have also been donated to Southampton City Council’s catering courier services.

We are very grateful to all staff at Stroud and King Edward VI for their efforts in joining the fight to defeat coronavirus.