STAFF at Lochgelly High School have played an important role in helping frontline teams fighting coronavirus get much needed PPE.

Principal Teacher of the Department of Engineering and Technology, at LHS, Adam Jackson, noticed on social media how Personal Protection Equipment could be made with the right equipment and when he found out that local care homes were desperate for this the LHS team formulated their plan of attack.

Adam, along with janitors Scott Donaldson and David Hoggan, and former technical teacher at the school, Shona MacGregor, got down to work using laser cutting equipment to create visors and face mask earsavers, with assistance from Lochgelly company, Clas-SIC Wafer Fab, who supplied one of their cutters.

"We realised how desperate the care homes were for the equipment so were able to make 2,000 earsavers and 1,000 visors in our three hour shifts," said Adam.

"In a space of a few days we were able to get equipment to Lindsay House, at Lumphinnans; Abbotsford Care Home, Benarty Medical Practice, Fernlea House, in Cardenden and Cowdenbeath Medical Practice.

"Then soon after Cowdenbeath Rotary Club donated £300, and the Mary Leishman Foundation £250, to produce visors for the coronavirus staff at the Victoria Hospital, in Kirkcaldy, and we got down to work again and we were delighted to be able to get the equipment down to the people on the frontline who needed it."

Adam and his team received a surprise on Thursday when they received a special award for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cowdenbeath Rotary Club presented them with A Community and Vocational Service Award, 'in recognition of special service within the community'.

Adam said: "This is really something we did not expect.

"We just wanted to help the community at this difficult time and if we can help one person from avoiding getting ill through COVID-19, it will have been a success."

In effect their efforts have seen their equipment get further afield than Fife, with the hospitals in Glasgow and Lanarkshire also being able to benefit from Lochgelly High School made PPE.

"It has been an amazing time and we would like to thank everyone who has helped make it possible," he added.

Adam Jackson is pictured with the award with headteacher Debbie Aitken holding one of the visors flanked by janitors David Hoggan and Scott Donaldson.