CrowdShield (www.crowdshield.im) are a group of laser cutter and 3D printer owners across the Isle of Man are joining forces in preparation for increased demand for PPE (personal protective equipment) during the COVID-19 outbreak. There is, reportedly, a critical shortage of PPE equipment in the UK & worldwide; so concerned makers based on the Isle of Man are pooling resources and volunteering their equipment and skills in this time of need.

Ranging from hobbyists to professionals we are a dedicated group co-ordinating a community-driven response that represents our Island’s community spirit. All face shields manufactured are done so to specific requirements that ensure minimal risk and maximum hygiene; these are quality controlled and then fed into the IoM Government's PPE hub for distribution to our healthcare workers.

Raw materials to continue this endeavour are becoming more difficult and more expensive to source. Until this point our team of Manx makers have donated their own materials, but this supply is now almost used up. We need to raise funding to secure the supply of these raw materials and ensure we can safeguard the requirements of our Island's healthcare workers.

The more raw materials we can source, the more security and protection can be assured to frontline workers on the Isle of Man. Please donate if you can and share to other people or companies that may be able to help!

Thank you so much / Gura mie eu

CrowdShield.im

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COST BREAKDOWN

Your donation will help to purchase the plastics necessary to make the shields and to cover distribution costs. Each completed face shield costs approximately £2.60 to make, though prices of these raw materials are increasing daily. We will update our website (crowdshield.im) very soon with a full and transparent breakdown of all materials & associated costs (transport etc.).

The Isle of Man Government is coordinating, sourcing & funding materials (visors etc.) for the next stage of the process, including the assembly and final distribution of face shields (so these are not included in our costings).

We have done our best to forecast how many face shields are required in the Isle of Man; our £10,000 goal should provide nearly 4,000 face shields. At the current rate of production (roughly 100 per day) we need almost £2,000 per week to continue the manufacture of face shields, so any support you can show now is invaluable and helps us continue making!

(Donations are subject to a JustGiving payment fee of 2.9% plus 20p per donation, which JustGiving will automatically deduct from donations before sending to CrowdShield.im)

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE RAISE MORE THAN WE NEED?

As is the case everywhere in the world, this crisis is evolving fast. We have done our best to anticipate the needs for PPE for our local healthcare sector, but we may find that this need increases, in which case we will increase our fundraising goal.

When the need for face shield production is met, any leftover funds we have raised will be donated to the Manx Solidarity Fund (www.manxsolidarityfund.com), a Manx registered Charitable Trust set up by the community for the community, in response to the rapidly developing difficulties brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Again, thank you so much for your support at this critical time.

**** Keep up to date with our progress on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/crowdshieldim