University’s COVID-19 Campaign Tops £90,000 in Charitable Donations

The University of Lincoln has raised more than £90,000 to help produce protective equipment for frontline workers, and its engineering team is currently producing more than 700 safety visors a week for GPs, pharmacists, care workers and supermarket employees.

The momentous effort has seen more than 1,800 donations to the University’s Just Giving page to date, with charitable contributions still rolling in. The current £90,000 total includes donations and additional Gift Aid. A substantial contribution was made by the University itself to help respond to the global COVID-19 crisis, and since the campaign was launched at the end of March, members of public across Greater Lincolnshire and beyond have been keen to join the effort. The University’s School of Engineering is manufacturing safety visors and other protective equipment, and the School of Design are supporting the national project For the Love of Scrubs by producing scrubs for NHS staff.

Technicians and alumni are cutting and sewing scrubs, as well as providing reams of fabric to volunteer sewers across Lincolnshire. More than 600 sets of scrubs have been produced so far, with an extra 250 sewn for student nurses from the University of Lincoln, who have volunteered to begin working early to help combat COVID-19.

Dr Khaled Goher, an academic leading the engineering effort at the University of Lincoln, said: “The team is working so hard to fulfil the needs of our local NHS hospital at Lincoln, and the demands for protective face visors have increased rapidly in the last three weeks from GPs and many care homes across the county and beyond. In response to an increased demand, we had bought extra 3D printers, sourced additional materials, and the team is completing regular shifts throughout the week and sometimes during the weekends to fulfil any urgent requests.

“So far, we have supplied thousands of protective visors to hospitals in Lincoln, Millbrook, Gainsborough and more than 35 GP practices and care homes in Lincolnshire and London. We are very grateful for the amazing reaction and donations from the public to support this vital work.”

The University’s efforts have inspired others to complete charitable activities and donate their collections to the PPE and scrubs campaign. These include Hykeham Town T.R. Football Club, who are collectively running 1,500 miles in seven days and have so far raised more than £3,000, and Dave Staddon, who has donated almost £1,000 from the proceeds of his home baking initiative, Dave’s Daily Bread.

Nine-year-old Maisie Hiatt has made an amazing contribution to the University’s campaign. She has raised more than £130 after constructing her very own marble run game, stationed at the bottom of her drive, and inviting members of the public to have a go and make charitable donations. After posting about the game on Facebook, her mum Andrea received requests from friends and family to have a virtual go on the game, and the fundraising really took off. Maisie wanted to help the NHS and do something at a local level, and was delighted to be able to support the University’s safety equipment campaign.

Hundreds of anonymous donors have also sent positive messages in support of the campaign, such as: “Proud that my daughter will be coming to a University that cares for its community. Well done for supporting the NHS”, and: “Great to see such innovative use of modern technology and fantastic effort from staff and students to help keep our amazing NHS staff safe”. One message from the front line reads: “Thank you – we need your help so desperately – thank you from Radiology.”

To view more messages of support or to make a donation, visit the University of Lincoln’s Just Giving page.