THOUSANDS of lifesaving personal protective equipment (PPE) has been delivered across East Berkshire – thanks to the efforts of a local woman.

Ascot native Georgie Tindall has been driving across Windsor, Maidenhead, Bracknell and Ascot delivering PPE to care homes, doctor surgeries and hospitals who desperately need them to protect their staff against the coronavirus.

Some of the PPE such as visors are made from teams in schools at Leighton Park in Reading and Lambrook near Ascot whereas others are donated or developed via 3D printing from community members and local businesses.

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Slough Observer:

Georgie, with the assistance of a few helpers, picks up the equipment from the schools or from those wanting to donate and then distributes to places in East Berkshire who contact her and need them the most – which she has been doing for three weeks now.

The idea started after Georgie was separated from her four-year-old daughter Frankie who has been staying with her grandparents during the lockdown and felt she had to do something to get by on a day to day basis.

It originally started out as food donations to Frimley Park Hospital five weeks ago, but she later noticed critical services in the area had shortages of PPE – and decided to reach out to the community for donations and deliver them directly where needed.

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So far, Georgie estimates that 10,000 masks, 900 visors, 5,000 pairs of gloves and 1,000 aprons – which she has seen a high demand for – have been delivered to communities and hospitals in the region.

Georgie said: “I find it quite sad going around sometimes because it makes me think that these people in care homes and doctor surgeries are risking their lives and don’t have what they need.

“It rips my heart out some days because I go to some care homes with confirmed Covid-19 patients and their staff are working without the right equipment and it’s heartbreaking, but they still do it.”

She added: “I don’t want to leave everyone out, so I try to get what I can to who can and try to distribute it equally to make the fairest way I can.”

Drop-offs of PPE ranges from three to ten times a day while deliveries to Frimley Park Hospital are three to four times a week, accompanied by cupcakes for the staff.

Large delivers have also been made to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council’s adult social care operator, Optalis, who contact Georgie for any contributing PPE.

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Georgie was “blown away” from the support of the community who have donated resources to her to distribute it across East Berkshire.

She said: “I want to say a massive thank you to the community for the continued support both in Ascot and surrounding areas.

“I really couldn’t do it if they weren’t supporting me and sending me messages of encouragement.

“I put a post out and I have, like, 50 people saying ‘we’ll help’ and none of it would be possible without that. It’s just amazing.”