A 11-year-old schoolboy who is still busy creating life-saving face shields to donate to NHS staff with a 3D printer he got for Christmas, was overwhelmed and humbled when he received a big thank you card from Warrington Hospital.
Jaycen Ledgerton, a pupil at Birchwood High School, who has just completed another batch of 22 face masks to deliver to the hospital, received a “lovely big thank you card” from hospital Chief Executive Simon Constable, who thanked him for making them and for thinking of the hospital. He told Jaycen he was “brilliant!”
As well as producing the face shields for the hospital he has also been busy making them for local shop staff and for the voluntary team in Birchwood who are delivering food parcels to the vulnerable.
When he got a 3D printer for Christmas he never thought that within months he would be using it to save lives.
Alongside his general schoolwork, Jaycen designed his own DT project – to print face shields after hearing they were in short supply at his local hospital.
The face shields are to UK recommended design, consist of a 3D printed headband and a punched laminate shield.
Jaycen said at the time of his first delivery: “I wanted to help our doctors and nurses during the Covid lockdown, and I know that they’re asking for equipment that they desperately need. Mum got me a 3D printer for Christmas, and I found face shields online that I could 3D print and put together at home. We started straight away and I’m hoping to make as many as I can to send to Warrington Hospital.
The hospital have always taken great care of me whenever I’ve needed them so I would like to give a little back in return.”
Proud mum Selena said: “During lockdown Jayce’s happiness is my highest priority so there’s no number on his face shield builds as that way there’s no pressure on him and he can choose when he prints or plays – I have no doubt he would print 24-7 if he could and absolutely exhaust himself.
“I have told Jayce that what he is doing is absolutely amazing and that what’s important is not how many face shields he makes but how many people one shield alone can save and protect. I couldn’t be prouder of him.
“Alongside home schooling, work and play, we are shipping them out to the hospital each time we reach 22 – Jayce chose 22 as it was the number of his late grandmother’s house and she was like a nurse to us all.
“He was extremely humbled by the lovely card he received from the head of the hospital. He couldn’t believe they had taken the time to send it with everything they are doing for us all.”
Warrington Hospital’s Chief Executive Simon Constable
