A cloud specialist with a passion for all-things-tech has taken a love of engineering one step further in the fight against COVID-19.
Craig Holmes bought himself two high-end 3D printers as a birthday treat, using the money from a cancelled cruise. And, having closely monitored the evolving news headlines surrounding the health crisis, he is already putting his gadgets – an Anycubic Max 4 Pro and Bibo 2 – to good use.
Having sourced CAD models for face guard headbands, Craig – head of cloud at Elland-headquartered technology firm Vapour – will now be manufacturing approximately 300 units per week, complete with visors. He will then donate these to local shopkeepers and other ‘forgotten’ key workers who may otherwise struggle to obtain PPE during the current shortage.
And Tim Mercer, CEO of Craig’s employer Vapour Cloud, has committed to backing Craig’s heroic efforts by paying for all materials and distribution.
Commenting on his idea, Craig – who lives in Darwen, Lancashire – said: “I decided to try and do my bit after visiting my local village shop and talking to one of the ladies there, who was worried to still be working.
“It’s no surprise – given my job – that I love tech, so when our cruise was cancelled due to COVID-19, the printers seemed the perfect thing to spend the money on. With the help of Vapour, we’re now able to support some of the unsung heroes during all of this.”
CEO Tim added: “We’ve seen an overwhelming degree of generosity from the business community since the COVID-19 outbreak began, and Vapour has also been keen to find ways to give back wherever we can.
“But to see our colleagues also go out of their way to think of ways to help fight this horrific health crisis, makes us incredibly proud as an employer. It also goes to show how phenomenally impactful the clever use of tech can be, at difficult times like this.”
Craig was also the brains behind Vapour’s support for NHS volunteers, when the company committed to allowing employees half a day of paid leave per week to get behind the ‘national effort’.
