PPE printing Sunderland teen honoured with British Empire Medal

Theo, an aspiring engineer, used a 3D printer he received for Christmas to produce the first tranche of visors

A teenager who used his 3D printer to make visors for NHS and care home staff during the Covid-19 pandemic is to receive a British Empire Medal.

Theo Wride, a 16-year-old student from Sunderland, also hand-delivered the protective equipment with his family during the initial weeks of lockdown.

He is the youngest recipient on this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Theo said he was "over the moon" and was accepting the medal on behalf of all the 3D printers who made PPE.

The Royal Grammar School student was singled out for services to the community and key-workers after producing 1,200 reusable visors.

Some of his first products were used by his GP mother Monica Dimigen and her colleagues.

Some of the first visors Theo produced at the start of lockdown were used by his GP mother and her colleagues

Theo's grandmother was admitted to a care home in March, the week before lockdown, which inspired him to produce them for staff.

Theo, whose grandmother bought him his first printer four years ago, said: "I saw how lots of people were helping by like making scrubs and things. I wanted to do my bit."

Initially, each visor took six hours to print and only one could be produced at a time.

But after an online campaign raised £3,000, he was able to buy extra printers and increased production to about 70 visors a day.

Protective visors were offered to all care homes in Sunderland, including the one where his grandmother was admitted

Theo's parents work for the NHS with his mum based in Sunderland while his dad Nicholas Wride is a consultant at Sunderland Eye Infirmary.

"We are delighted and very proud and it was an unexpected surprise," Dr Dimigen said.

"I think Theo really sees this an achievement of what the whole 3D printing community did at the time, as there were so many people who did something similar, and he accepts this on behalf of them."