Banbury motorsport manufacturing company offers to make ventilators for NHS

The Banbury-based company, Prodrive known for its motorsport and advanced engineering, has been in contact with central government and offered its expertise.to help manufacture ventilators.

A spokesperson for Prodrive said: "We have been in contact with central government through the portal they set up specifically to look for companies that could help.

"We have advised them of all the areas we could be of help in terms of making specialist components or even assembly the whole units using the advanced manufacturing facilities we have here in Banbury.

"We are a world leading motorsport and advanced engineering business. We are best known for motorsport, but transfer our skills and technologies to the automotive, defence, aerospace and marine sectors too.

"We specialise in being able to design and manufacture complex systems and turning projects around quickly, which is why we wanted to do anything we can to help during this unprecedented situation we are all in."

George Evans, aged 15, who spent two-weeks with the Banbury company last summer on work experience, has offered to help Prodrive as they make the ventilators.

George, who wants an apprenticeship in motorsport, has raced cars since the age of 12. His father, Paul Evans, runs a Supercar Driving Experience Business called www.driveme.co.uk based near Chester.

On the last day of the work experience last summer lots of people from Prodrive came out wish George good luck.

After George saw news that Prodrive has stopped its motorsport activities and are now looking at producing ventilators he wanted to volunteer to help. So with the help of his parents he contacted HR at Prodrive, and volunteered to help.

Paul said: "To our surprise, I received an email from the lady in HR who wrote to us, and although George can’t go for various reasons they said that by offering to do this has reassured them why they would have George back."

The letter Paul and George received from Prodrive read: "We love that George is so keen. At the moment, if the NHS need more ventilators we will certainly be helping, but no confirmation yet.

"Sadly, we have had to cancel all visitors, work placements and contractors. However, this has just reassured us even more that George is welcome back as soon as the world calms down."

Since George couldn't do his bit to help during the coronavirus outbreak he started a Just Giving fundraising web page to help a woman who works for his father. Emma, a young mum of two, had a stroke on New Years Day and has been in hospital since.

People can contribute to George's fundraising campaign for Emma through the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paul-evans-88Paul added: "George will admit himself he is not the best in school and has slight learning difficulties. The coronavirus means he couldn’t sit his exams, and has been worried how he will be able to get a job in the future.

"A lesson for all kids out there who weren’t academic if you want something, work hard and be yourself and you may just get it."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper when you do your weekly shop.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.