The Souths leading chain of day nurseries have received a donation of visor masks for childcare colleagues, made by Lytchett Minster School in Dorset.
With fewer students at the school, Design & Technology teachers and year 13 students have been busy making face visors with their idle laser cutters, for those working on the front line.
An incredible number of over 550 visors have been made so far and have already been distributed to Tops Day Nurseries, local care homes, shops, doctor surgeries, Poole Hospital and many more Key Worker businesses. The science department at the school have also handed over all of their Science goggles and gloves to frontline NHS workers and local care homes.
Andrew Mead, Headmaster of Lytchett Minster School said, “We are very pleased to be able to support local frontline workers at this time.We all need to do what we can. We are fortunate to have the equipment and the expertise to provide protective masks. We are pleased to be of service.”
Early years settings across the UK have remained open throughout the coronavirus pandemic to ensure children of Key Workers can be cared for whilst their parents can continue to provide vital services to the country.
As well as NHS staff, delivery drivers, shop workers, farmers, emergency services and other Key Worker positions there is one sector working on the front line with no personal protection equipment, the inability to social distance and is often forgotten about… Childcare workers. Every day people working within the childcare sector care for children and put themselves at risk of contracting the virus.
Cheryl Hadland, Managing Director of Tops Day Nurseries commented “We are extremely grateful for the kind donation from Lytchett Minster School. We would like to say a special thank you to Head of Design and Technology, Jenny Everett and her colleagues Tony Perry and Lucian Drane who have been quite clearly going above and beyond to help Key Workers during this unprecedented time.”
We note that the government do not consider that the Early Years sector need any additional PPE equipment compared to the days before Corvid-19, and it’s very difficult to source PPE without impacting on the NHS supplies plus the sector has serious financial difficulties so has not been able to pay to import anything themselves. However we believe this donation will help nursery staff feel valued and appreciated and give them the option to protect themselves a little more, which is wonderful. So thank you to the school, and their suppliers. They have done a fantastic job to make such a large quantity of visors and masks. Tops Day Nurseries will do whatever we can to support the funding for this.
At this time, it is important that we remain united and support each other in any way possible I am so proud of all of our colleagues across the Tops family and in fact all early years staff across the UK who are still going in to work each day wiping noses, giving cuddles, changing nappies and putting the children and families before themselves with no additional PPE. The Early Years sector is undervalued, but not by us, well done to you all. ”
With this fantastic donation, Tops Day Nurseries are a step closer to their goal of 1 mask per member of staff. If you may be able to support with donating PPE visors, please email marketing@topsdaynurseries.co.uk
If you would like to make a donation to support the schools with funding the equipment to make PPE, please visit the Go Fund Me page here.
