AJL Cars
After 30 years of being a local taxi company, AJL Cars (Ally, Mike and Ken), decided during lockdown we could help the community. The best way we felt was to offer a free pickup/delivery prescription service with the local pharmacies. So far we have delivered over 750 prescriptions!
We will continue this service until lockdown is over, but if you need a taxi you can contact us on 01420 478889.
Emma Fyfield from Elephant Lane
‘Due to the pandemic situation I was forced to stop taking on work. The nature of my business (Elephant Lane) as a curtain and blind maker requires me to visit people in their own homes to measure and consult. Unfortunately, I was unable to do this, and I only had a limited amount of work booked in. However, with the covid-19 virus taking hold and an apparent lack of PPE I soon realised my skills, equipment and materials could be put to good use. I had an enquiry from a nursing home for face coverings, 50 in total, and I happily offered to make them for free.
I often share my work on my Facebook business page, and it was uplifting to share how my workroom was now full of small rectangles of fabric and ties, and word soon spread. I decided that as long as I had the time and the fabrics available, I would continue to make and supply face coverings for those in need. To be honest, it was great having the excuse to escape the kids and the torture of home-schooling! I have now supplied over 170 face coverings for free t0 nursing homes, disabled community members and care agencies. Some have kindly donated money, which I decided would go to charity.
Soon orders were flying in from members of the public and it has been a huge joy to be able to meet the demands. I started charging, in order to cover my costs (there is only a certain amount of fabric a curtain maker has hanging around!) and have now made over 600 face coverings in total! Some kind members of the public also donated on top of the cost and I now have over £150 to donate to charity. The final amount will be displayed on Elephant Lane’s Facebook page once orders have eased. The donated money and profits will be donated to SSAFA, a charity which has helped my visually impaired son. It is such a nice feeling to be able to give something back. Some good can come out of a bonkers situation!
Now things are easing it is back to curtains and blinds for me! But I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and still have orders dribbling in. Thank you to all who have donated, I look forward to sharing the total soon!
Ian Hiscocks
Drawing on 30 years’ experience as a design engineer, local man Ian Hiscocks and his wife Sue have been 3D printing PPE whilst they have been working from home. Here Ian talks through this process and where the PPE was donated:
‘After being contacted via a friend to see if we could respond to the situation and be able to print some PPE, we used our two home printers to print approximately 650 visor mounts that could use a simple OHP A4 film that had holes punched into it using a standard simple 2 hole punch. Printed using PolylaticAcid (PLA) a starch based Biopolymer, and taking approximately 90minutes each to print, the vast majority of these were given to the Haslemere Minor Injuries Unit, some Veterinary surgery’s as well as some careers and some friends that were vulnerable and needed something.
We were also able to produce some for a pharmaceutical company for their key workers. Our printers were running for about 15 hours a day each day for about five weeks. The colours varied as we used up our samples and reels of filament and had to order about eight additional reels to keep printing then whilst they were wanted.’