Burnley engineer's valiant voluntary effort to make visors for NHS

As the political row over the shortage of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) intensifies, Matt Morris (40) has been using his 3D printer to voluntarily make visors, some of which are already being worn by staff at London’s Nightingale Hospital.

Matt, who was on the verge of setting up a business specialising in 3D printing when the national emergency struck, was dismayed by reports from the frontline that staff don’t have the basic equipment they need to keep them safe.

As the numbers of NHS workers killed by coronavirus grew, Matt felt compelled to act and diverted his attention from his fledgling business, to helping to provide vital protective visors, donating his time and materials for free.

Matt has joined a consortium made up over 7,000 volunteers. However, there are noticeably far fewer people producing the visors in East Lancashire than other parts of the UK, particularly the South.

Despite their co-ordinated efforts, there is still a deeply concerning shortage. This equipment is quite literally the difference between life and death for some healthcare workers, public transport operators and shop assistants so more needs to be done - and fast.

However, the 3D printer Matt is using is not built for mass production, it's taking over four hours just to print two visors. With a second, bigger model, Matt could more than double his output.

Matt's family have now set up a crowdfunding initiative through Just Giving to purchase a more suitable machine and help to cover the running costs, materials and postage. Matt will continue to give his time voluntarily.

If you would like to donate, here is the Just Giving link: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/cat-morris-