Hove-based designer behind Masked Singer costumes turns his talents to PPE production

The Hove-based costume designer behind the disguises on ITV's The Masked Singer has turned his talents to making personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS workers on the front line.

Tim Simpson, 46, nearly died from pneumonia in his 20s, so he knows the havoc diseases like Covid-19 can reap on people's lungs.

So when lockdown was imposed, he took his 3D printer home from work and set about making face shields for healthcare workers, alongside volunteers from all over the country.

Now he is part of a network of 8,000 people across the UK making anddistributing PPE equipment

He runs production company Plunge Creations and designed all the masks for the hugely popular The Masked Singer, which was won by former Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts.

Mr Simpson, who lives with his partner Sarah and son in Hove, East Sussex, said: "It has been amazing. I have never been involved in anything like this.

"There's this sort of network of people who have never met face to face whoare all working frantically to try and fulfil this need around the country."

• Frontline workers are "unbelievably grateful"

So far the organisation - 3DCrowd UK - has supplied 100,000 face shields toover 160 NHS trusts.

Mr Simpson says there remains a huge demand, with orders placed for 600,000 in total.

He added: "There are people working in hospitals who are being told that PPE is coming and yet they are coming to us because they are scared.

"We have frontline workers who are just unbelievably grateful."

Mr Simpson, who spoke about how he spent days in hospital in Newcastle due to his bout of pneumonia, said Covid-19 scares him.

"It's a disease that gives me the willies because I know that I might not fairtoo well if it does get me," he said.

"I have just got to keep going, making sure other people are going to bealright."