St Hugh’s Hospital in Grimsby is showing its appreciation for members of the community who have kindly donated various items to the hospital, including much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE), during the coronavirus outbreak.

In response to the nationwide plea from hospitals and healthcare staff urging anyone with 3D printers to produce and distribute PPE, Nik Brunt, Stu Hud and John Connelly from Grimsby produced over 60 3D printed face shields between them which they donated to St Hugh’s Hospital.

Keen to support the appeal for face visors which are currently in short supply for key workers, Nik Brunt began printing 3D face shields in his loft which have been verified by a virus testing lab through the Health Tree Foundation.

Nik said: “We began producing visors purely for the NHS and then I found out from friends of mine who work at St Hugh’s that the care staff there were being overlooked along with many care homes.

“So, me and my friend David Jones set up a Facebook page to pull together resources locally to ensure that NHS staff and key workers in Grimsby and the surrounding areas have access to essential safety equipment while working on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19.

“A GoFundMe page has also been set up to encourage more people to donate money to fund the cost of materials and equipment. We are currently producing 500 visors a day, which are primarily being distributed to NHS staff and social care workers – but we’re aiming to produce 1,000 a day and would encourage anyone who can help to please get in touch via the Facebook page: Great Grimsby 3D Printing for NHS and Keyworkers.”

As well as vital protective equipment donations, a supply of uniform bags, snacks and food hampers from local companies and individuals have also been arriving at St Hugh’s as a token of appreciation for the hospital’s staff.

Relatives of those at St Andrew’s Hospice in Grimsby have handmade material uniform bags for St Hugh’s Hospital staff to take their uniforms home in, to prevent the risk of transmitting any bacteria from the hospital.

Grimsby Freestyle Kickboxing Club kindly gifted the contents of its tuck shop containing drinks and snacks to the hospital staff. Meanwhile, Healing Manor, also in Grimsby, has been delivering batches of freshly baked bread to the hospital after its usual bread supplier was forced to close.

John Tomlinson from Grimsby Freestyle Kickboxing club said: “I, along with everyone from the club, was absolutely overwhelmed with the amazing dedication and selfless actions of the staff at St Hugh’s, and we really wanted to get involved in some way to show our appreciation for their hard work through these difficult times.

“When the club was forced to close because of the lockdown measures, we donated all our snacks and drinks to the wonderful staff as a small thank you in the hope that they would be able to enjoy small treats during their breaks.”

Ashley Brown, Hospital Director at St Hugh’s, said: “On behalf of everyone at St Hugh’s Hospital, we would like to thank every member of the community who has very kindly donated vital protective face shields and other items to us.

“Your generosity is deeply appreciated at a time which is incredibly difficult for everyone – no gesture goes unnoticed and thanks to these valuable donations we can continue protecting both our staff and our patients as we fight the coronavirus.”

Owing to the current situation with COVID-19, St Hugh’s Hospital is currently unable to accept new patients to the hospital. To find out more about the current procedures in place, visit: https://hmtsthughs.org/ or call 01472 251100.