A STAFF member has devoted her time to keeping volunteers safe by making PPE for stretchers.

Megan Dixon, development co-ordinator of KS3 design technology and STEM at Ulverston Victoria High School, has devoted herself to helping protect key workers and volunteers in the community.

Ms Dixon, who has worked at UVHS for five years, has spent almost every weekday since Easter in school making PPE along with a team of art and design and technology staff.

The team have produced more than 2,600 face masks, ear savers and scrub bags.

Ms Dixon also took it upon herself to help support her local Mountain Rescue Team branch at Coniston, when approached by Dick Palmer with an unusual request.

There are ten Mountain Rescue Teams alone in Cumbria who use specialised stretchers to help bring down injured walker, runners and climbers from mountain and fells.

With the Covid-19 outbreak reaching unusually higher localised levels in the area, it became apparent that the need for PPE to be fitted to the stretcher would be an important step in ensuring both MRT and public safety.

Ms Dixon worked closely with staff from the MRT to draft design ideas and develop solutions from a range of materials using facilities at UVHS.

Given the lack of live volunteers through social distancing regulations, Ms Dixon used anthropometric data to produce adapted visors and shields for the stretcher.

The design has been so warmly welcomed by the MRT volunteers it has already been taken across to Coniston MRT who historically have more call outs than other teams during the early Summer weather.

Senior leaders at UVHS have praised Megan for her amazing dedication to and work on this project alongside the planning and delivery of remote teaching to all her classes after the school was shut during lockdown.

She said: "I am so happy I could continue to help the volunteers stay safe now that more people are returning to the Lake District.

"I felt just like one of my A Level students again working through a design problem too."