Volunteers are needed to help a Macclesfield company who plan to produce "thousands" of face shields a day to help protect those bravely tackling the coronavirus pandemic on the frontlines.

JTAPE, whose factory and headquarters are based in Macclesfield, needs volunteers to work from home and assemble disposable face shields to get them out rapidly to the likes of NHS and care home staff.

The company is better known for its production of a range of tapes that are used across many different industries.

Kirsty Sullivan, Head of Marketing and Communications at the company, told Nub News: "Our Managing Director, Oliver Jevons, is very innovative. As the number of cases in the UK were growing, he started working on some face-shield proto-types, testing them and coming up with a solution.

"We had some feedback that existing face shields can be uncomfortable when worn for any length of time and the materials we are using are extremely comfortable and light weight making them good to wear for a long time. We're going to adapt our production lines to produce large quantities."

Mrs Sullivan said they had been seeing stories on the news about frontline staff in care homes and pharmacies not being able to access the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and "knew we could make a difference".

Inspiration has also been taken from individuals and smaller businesses who have been using 3D printers to produce the face shields, but only in relatively small quantities.

"We expect to be able to produce thousands per day to really make a difference. We've got the facilities, we've got a big factory with a skilled production team to produce and distribute the Face Shields to the sectors in need." Mrs Sullivan said.

JTAPE plans to give 10 free disposable face shields to local care homes, doctors surgeries, pharmacies and the hospital in order to see if the product meets their needs.

The company wants volunteers to put the face shields together so they do not have to be done by frontline workers who can focus on their roles, producing the component parts.

To comply with guidelines to stay at home, volunteers will have the components for the face shields delivered along with a straightforward guide on how to assemble them.

JTAPE are selling the face shields online from £3.50 per unit plus VAT, for 10 cases or more. The minimum case of 24 costs £114 plus VAT.

Mrs Sullivan explained: "We have invested in the raw materials and will be able to distribute the face shields across the UK, Europe and countries placing orders from across the world.

She added: "We will be providing a discount code to every organisation who receives a free trial of the masks to help support the PPE needs of the companies in the local area. We will also be able to provide a bulk price for large orders of 10 or more cases. Just email us at [email protected]".

The firm hopes to begin production of the face shields tomorrow and plans to provide 10 free sample face shields to local organisations who have requested them at the end of the week.

If you would like to volunteer to assemble the face shields from home, please email [email protected] and put 'Volunteer' in the subject line.

The face shields can be purchased by visiting the JTAPE website or you can email for more information.