Skip to main content

Resourceful local helps the NHS in Covid fight


Earlier this month Great British Bake-off contestant and Portsmouth local, Enwezor Nzegwu set-up a crowdfunding campaign to pay for material to make face shields for key workers. Enwezor wanted to get them made as fast as possible to help the fight against COVID-19.  He discovered that if you had access to a laser cutting machine, you could cut out face shields in only about 45 seconds - if only you have the equipment and the money.

Thankfully Enwezor made contact with Seb Bagnall, from Etch Technologies, David Youngs, from Live Link Aerospace Technologies, Alan Gingell from Good Directions Ltd. and Richard Wilkins, who all offered their laser cutters & their staff at no cost to help produce face shields.

So far, over 6000 face shields have been manufactured and delivered to 109 establishments including, Care homes, adult social care, volunteer groups, GP surgeries, nursing groups, individual care workers, and the local maternity unit.

The crowdfunding campaign has raised over £12000 to pay for the material to make the face shields with some very generous donations - but this is the tip of the iceberg on what is needed.

Enwezor says 'This would not have been possible without the people who have come together to make this happen in a very short time - the funders, the manufacturers, the advocates, and the delivery drivers.' 

Enwezor goes on to say, 'It's one of the hardest things I have ever done as I didn't really know what I was doing and had to learn as I went. It's all worth it though with the hundreds of messages of thanks, heart-warming stories and pictures that I have received'.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I Am Only Human After All film premiere

Portsmouth Film Society (PFS) continues to deliver on its mission to help break down social barriers and unite diverse cultures with the premieres of four short films on 30 May at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth. Portsmouth citizens from all backgrounds have come together to tell their stories. Many people will be able to identify with the difficult subjects of these films; homelessness, substance misuse and recovery, disability and multiculturalism. Whether they have experience of these topics themselves, or only in passing, PFS hopes that projects like these will encourage discussion amongst their viewers. These short films are the result of a 20-week course held at the University of Portsmouth where participants were introduced to all aspects of film-making including script writing, casting, directing, filming and editing. They then became the producers, directors, screenwriters and actors in their own films. The program also included lectures by local film makers and an...

Indonesian fried spring rolls (Lumpia Goreng)

I don't often make Indonesian food because the ingredients are hard to find, but our local supermarkets are getting better at stocking ethnic ingredients. In the frozen section of Tesco, near the samosas, you can find the spring roll pastry.  Don't bother asking the branch in Chester. I was laughed at by the cashier when I asked for spring roll skin, because 'skin' is what we call the wrapper in Indonesian. Her more helpful colleague offered me filo pastry instead, which can be a good substitute. I'm afraid no one in Chester has yet to taste my amazing spring rolls as a result. Friends in Southsea are luckier!  Here are the ingredients to make 30 spring rolls (the packs come in 30 or 40 pieces) 1 medium head of cabbage, thinly sliced 2 carrots, julienned 1 red or yellow pepper, julienned 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 medium courgette, julienned 1 tablespoon of Oyster sauce (omit if cooking for vegan) 2 tbsp soy sauce salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp vegetable oil f...

‘Southsea dinosaur’ returns

Luna Park 2021, an eagerly anticipated new public artwork for Portsmouth designed by internationally renowned artists Ivan Morison and Heather Peak of Studio Morison will be launched on 2 October 2021 on a celebratory day in Southsea Common.  The 1.4 metres bronze sculpture is a tribute to the original 53-foot high 2010 artwork Luna Park, which tragically burned down on Southsea Common. The artists will unveil a new sculpture that responds to ten years of public demand to ‘bring back the Southsea Dinosaur’.  The new public artwork will be located within a direct sightline to the position of the original Luna Park sculpture. It will sit on top of a fossil Portland stone plinth with a QR code which when scanned with a smartphone will connect to an Augmented Reality experience. People will be transported to a digital rendering of the original artwork, seemingly standing life-size in front of them on Southsea Common. Viewers will also be able to use their mobile devices to visit a...