The Alleynian 708 2020

THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY

THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY

The College is grateful to the Friends of Dulwich College, our parents’ association, for their funding of the production of face masks. The FDC Committee had asked the Master, as the Coronavirus pandemic set in, to alert them to any Covid-related project it could sponsor, using funds that would otherwise have supported trips and expeditions. Support for the DT Department’s production of face masks has been enthusiastically approved by the Friends. They are also covering the cost of the replacement of some 500 pairs of goggles and visors which have been donated to the NHS from the Science faculty.

AM: How are you handling the actual human involvement, given the lockdown and requirement for social distancing? SR: We’re keeping social distancing. Whenever we’re in the room, assembling them, we’re at that two-metre distance apart, wearing PPE, in a sterile environment, ensuring that the masks are assembled appropriately. If we’re working individually, fixing printers or changing the CAD file, we have an allocated workshop each to work in. Anything after the print is handled with gloves and masks, so it’s in an appropriate environment.

AM: You say ‘each of us’: how many of you are there?

SR: For a couple of weeks, it’s been the two of us: me and Mr Inchley. Behind the scenes, there’s our technician, Mr Towers, and Mr Humphreys, Head of Department, pitching in. Now, other members of staff are getting permission to come and help. Even members of other departments, like Mr Hallam from the Economics Department, have helped out. We’re trying to utilise as many people as possible, while keeping social distancing. From the middle of the holidays, we were pleased to be able to add two of our excellent Upper School DT students, Sam Williams (Year 13) and Zubayr Ghufoor (Year 12), to the production line.

AM: How does the actual transportation of visors work?

SR: In various ways. The Master, Dr Spence, has been distributing them to a range of different locations across London, from Moorfields Eye Hospital in East London to NHS surgeries in Hammersmith and pharmacies in Barnes, while people who are local or who have direct College connections are coming in and collecting them from the Site Officers’ Lodge, which is conveniently located next to the Design and Technology Department.

AM: What’s it like to be making a direct contribution to the fight against Covid-19?

SR: It’s all very surreal. We’re just trying to do our bit – we have the resources to do so, and it’s something that every DT department in the country is starting to get on the bandwagon of, which is brilliant. It also gives a bit of structure to our day, which is great.

At the time of writing (late April) over 2,000 face masks have been made and distributed. The DT Department is looking to develop an even better product, for which it has acquired BSI (British Standards Institution) accreditation. Requests are currently being received for between 50 and 100masks a day.

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