A football fans' group from Liverpool is set to deliver 5,000 vital protective visors to key workers in cities across the country.
The Fans Supporting Foodbanks group, set up and run by Liverpool and Everton fans, has been feeding vulnerable people during the coronavirus crisis but has also focused on developing items of emergency Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for NHS staff and key workers.
There have been continued issues with getting PPE to those on the frontline during this crisis and many local groups have stepped up.
Fans Supporting Foodbanks, usually known for collecting food for the vulnerable at Liverpool and Everton matches, have created a new hub food supply hub in Anfield to make sure those who are struggling and shielding at home do not go hungry.
At the same time the group has created a Merseyside PPE Hub partnership alongside the Lydiate Learning Trust, working out of Studio@Deyes at Wavertree Technology Park, where vital protective equipment is being made.
Now the group, founded by West Derby MP Ian Byrne and friends Dave Kelly and Robert Daniels, is ensuring that other cities are also receiving the PPE equipment being produced.
This weekend 5,000 life-saving visors produced at the Wavertree production hub will be sent to sister fans groups in Newcastle, Huddersfield, Leeds, Manchester and London for distribution to frontline workers.
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Since the crisis began, the partnership has produced and distributed more than 25,000 visors, hundreds of scrubs and more than 3000 face masks around the region.
Urgent requests for face visors for key workers around the country reached Fans Supporting Foodbanks this week and now the organisation is responding to that call with a cross-country solidarity mission to deliver the visors to the other towns and cities.
Ian Byrne said: “We are delighted once again to work with our comrades from Fans Supporting Foodbanks across the country, but this time supplying PPE to frontline workers created in solidarity from across Liverpool.
“Many thanks to LLT-PPE for pulling together the magnificent donation of 5000 visors to go to workers across the region who scandalously are being left short of PPE when working to protect our communities.
"This really is a true example of solidarity not charity between communities.”
Mr Kelly added: "Fans Supporting Foodbanks have always promoted harmony and aimed to be inclusive, not exclusive.
"Our ethos is to adopt a collaborative approach with other fan groups and in life generally.
"So, when fan groups from various regions asked us how they could order PPE from our Merseyside PPE Hub partnership, it became clear that the demand for PPE is a national one and we felt it our duty to respond."
