A WREXHAM project which is producing thousands of pieces of PPE for people across the UK is in desperate need of volunteers.

PPE Hwb Wrecsam CIC is based at Gresford Memorial Hall but initially began at Ysgol Clywedog, where parts for visors were made on 3D printers.

Alison Thompson, of the project, explained each visor took two hours and six minutes to print.

But now thanks to an industrial injection moulding technique, undertaken in Newtown, the project can produce a visor every 22 seconds.

The Leader:

Team members Beth Thompson, Maureen Cameron, Diane Savage, Lucy Thomson, Patricia Antlett, Derek Adnitt, Annwen Collins and Samuel Snowden

Ms Thompson said: "It's quite a difference from the speed we had before.

"In just the first week of July we have done 2,000 and we have the ability to scale our operation up and down. "We are capable of going to 30,000 a week and we're refining the process on a daily basis.

"These products are category 3 CE, which is the highest medical rating."

While the visor parts are made in Newtown, a production line at Gresford Memorial Hall cuts and prepares the screens which fit onto the visor frame, as well as the retaining strips.

The project is not limited by geography or industry and has been supplying masks to all manner of settings right across the UK.

Ms Thompson continued: "We have said right from the start that the virus doesn't know geography, so if you need a visor - you'll get one.

The Leader:

"We've sent them to dozens of hairdressers, schools, churches, nurseries, retail - anyone and everyone. "We give them away and people are encouraged, if they can, to make a donation.

"We have had a single large order from a university for 7,000 visors in order to allow students to return safely.

"We have people crying down the phone, desperate for these and it has been wonderful to be able to help.

"We now have three distribution centres through the Church in Wales; based in Holywell, Wrexham and Newtown.

"Our biggest problem at the moment is volunteers - we're desperate for more.

"As people start to go back to work we have fewer volunteers and more demand.

"We need people to help with cutting and punching elastic, putting stickers on things, cutting visors, administration, posting the visors out, quality control - there's a huge range of things to do.

"We work hard and we enjoy what we do."

Looking to the future, she added: "I think the repercussions of what has happened are something we will see for years to come and I think we will see more and more people wearing masks. "We are going to keep producing visors for the foreseeable future.

"It's been a phenomenal success so far thanks to the hard work of the volunteers.

"We've had fantastic support from the community and also the Gresford Trust, which has provided premises free of charge for us since May 11."

PPE Hwb Wrecsam CIC has received grants of £5,000 from the Community Fund for Wales, £2,468 from Cadwyn Clwyd and £300 from Gresford Community Council.

The project also has a fundraising page which can be found at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ppehwbwrecsam

Anyone interested in volunteering at the project can email media.ppehwbwrecsam@gmail.com