SCHOOLS and communities across the Bradford district have been answering the NHS's call for more personal protective equipment (PPE) to be made.

The demand for PPE has risen exponentially since the coronavirus outbreak.

This has led to shortages across the country - including in Bradford - putting staff on the frontline at risk.

But children, schools and communities have been doing their bit.

Hanson Academy, in Swain House Road, has manufactured hundreds of protective visors over the past few days.

On Monday, staff from the school's Design and Technology Department managed to create 200 visors - 100 each for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTHFT) and 100 for Stockport NHS Trust.

They topped that effort over the following two days, with 640 visors ready to be delivered to Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI), care homes, and local doctors surgeries yesterday.

The visors are made in the school building, using a laser cutter with polypropylene sheet and acetate.

Staff also began manufacturing dust bags for nurses's scrubs yesterday.

They produced 50 bags in one morning from old duvet covers.

Deputy Headteacher, Sarah Welsh, said: "Staff have been manufacturing the NHS visors at Hanson School in the D&T Department following an NHS plea for PPE.

"Hanson School wants to support the NHS and our local community during these unprecedented times.

"We continue to manufacture the visors and have produced over 640 visors so far for Stockport NHS, Bradford NHS, local care homes and doctors surgeries.

"We continue to receive orders daily and will continue to support our community - we currently have enough materials to manufacture more than 1,000 visors.

"Staff have also donated materials from their departments and home - a huge Hanson team effort."

This all while Hanson remains open as a hub school between 8am and 6pm everyday (including the Easter Holidays) for key worker and vulnerable children.

Meanwhile, Woodhouse Grove School, in Apperley Bridge, distributed all its Science and D&T goggles to those who needed them two weeks ago.

Teacher, Mr Allison, also produced 73 visors for staff at the Bingley Bubble GP Practices, after a call for help from a parent last Friday.

Daljit Singh Bansal, his family, and the community came together too to donate 542 visors and 40 boxes containing 10,000 gloves.

Son, Pritvir Kaur Bansal, also arranged for a stainless-steel sign to be laser-cut and pinned outside their home to further show support for the NHS.

It reads: "Thank you to the NHS forever."

The sign was created by Danny Russell, from Bradford Laser Cutting Ltd, who did the job for free.

Mr Bansal said: "I asked him how much it would be, and Danny replied ‘Nothing’.

"I gave him £20.00 for sandwiches. This sign would have approximately cost over £300.00."