Coronavirus: Barrow submarine engineers’ curtain hooks in demand

Curtain hook
There’s a national shortage of these things

 

Submarine engineers have responded to a second plea for isolation bed curtain hooks after the coronavirus pandemic led to a shortage.

BAE Systems in Cumbria, which made the hooks for a local hospital, has been approached by a hospice 300 miles way facing the same supply difficulties.

St Helena Hospice in Colchester said they were “very hard to get hold of”.

Facilities manager Bernard Barford said BAE’s help was remarkable considering “they’re not even in our area”.

“They just said yes, how many do you want, we can do it for you,” Mr Barford said.

Hospice facilities administrator Michelle Blair spotted a BBC story about the first batch of hooks and called BAE in Barrow to ask for help.

The firm’s head of engineering, specialist engineering and technology Michael Fraser said engineers had been “happy to oblige” with no charge.