Kelso couple on target to raise £1,500 to buy visors for key workers still working without

Stuart Meldrum, a craft and design teacher at Kelso High School, and Julie Arrol, a maths teacher at Earlston High, were concerned that key workers in the community were still without the potentially life-saving shields despite hundreds having been created locally by teachers and voluntary groups in the past few weeks.

As a result of that extra demand, the couple are raising money to get visors made locally by injection moulding instead, meaning they can be produced more quickly and with less waste created.

“Some community nurses, general practice doctors and mental health support workers are still without visors,” Stuart said.

“Around 350 visors made in the schools have gone to the Borders General Hospital in Melrose and thousands more have gone to SB Cares.

“We believe they’re going down well, but we’ve had requests from others who have no idea where they’re going to get face shields from.

“That’s where this fundraiser comes in and we will keep the supply going for as long as people need visors.

“Every 75p donated will get a visor to a key worker. “This is the cheapest and fastest way to get visor donations into the community. If we raise more money than we need, we’ll donate the rest to the NHS Borders’ official charity The Difference.”

Stuart has so far raised £1,375. You can donate and find out more by visiting the Scottish Borders visors page at: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/scottishbordersvisors?fbclid=IwAR3vZ4sb4hYkQCd_mVOWTUcnRDpA7K4v80_TkdYLplSc4PP8-6timcB_j-k

More about the region-wide effort to make face shields here: https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/people/borders-wide-effort-sees-volunteers-helps-tackle-visor-shortages-2547551