A North East teenager has become one of the youngest people on the Queen's Birthday Honours List for helping to keep key workers safe during the pandemic.
Theo Wride, 16, from Ashbrooke, Sunderland, is receiving a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services he provided to the community during the Covid-19 response.
After the country was placed in lockdown in March, the youngster started using his own 3D printer to produce much-needed personal protective equipment for NHS frontline staff.
Theo, a student at Newcastle’s Royal Grammar School, began printing face screens on his GP mum’s request.
He told ChronicleLive at the time: “My mum is a GP and will have to see patients potentially with Covid-19, without complete PPE coverage.
"As I have a printer, I thought I might as well produce these masks for her and anyone else willing.
"I am currently supplying 14 members of staff from my mum’s GP practice with masks.
"I have made and distributed 45 visors to various GP practices, two care homes, a local dementia hospital and a medical ward at the QE."
The teenager then started receiving dozens of orders from GP practices in both England and Scotland as well as from care homes.
He spent hundreds of hours making more than 1,000 protective visors for key workers.
Theo is now among 41 people from the North East who have received awards in this years Queen's Birthday Honours.
A knighthood has been bestowed on Brendan Foster, renowned athlete, broadcaster and founder of the Great North Run., for his services to International and National Sport and Culture in North East England.
And a host of MBEs, OBEs and CBEs were handed to invaluable members of the public who have put themselves out to help their community.
