MORE than 1,000 face masks and hand sanitisers were delivered to a care home in Mere this week, presented by an actress known for her role in Luther who has connections to the town.

On Monday the personal protective equipment (PPE) was donated to Bramley House Residential Care Home by TV star Ruth Wilson, who was recently appointed an ambassador of UK Mask Force (UKMF).

The not-for-profit organisation, made up of medical, ex-military and procurement experts, has now supplied 12,000 units of PPE to frontline workers across the country.

After receiving the PPE delivery Caroline Nicholson, manager of Bramley House, said: “We are currently required to accommodate an increasing number of residents from the local community.

"This has led to our having difficulties in securing consistently adequate supplies of PPE to protect our frontline health care workers, and we are immensely grateful for this timely donation.”

Ruth, whose parents live in Mere, said: “I fully support the ambitious vision of UKMF - to raise funds for the procurement and delivery of reliable PPE to many neglected health care workers who are starved of supplies and funding.”

UKMF relies on money donations from the public in order to supply healthcare workers with the appropriate PPE.

Antony Sainthill, UKMF director, said: “Many are very concerned for our frontline health care workers, and a lot of ‘fake’ protective equipment is being ordered directly or indirectly from overseas.

“With many contacts in the medical, military, procurement and logistics professions, we wanted to deliver a coordinated response to help hospitals, nursing homes and care providers with the right quality and quantity of PPE.

“Just £10 covers the manufacture and transportation of up to 16 surgical masks or five high-spec FFP2 masks. So we need the public and businesses to donate and help our heroes on the frontline.

“We cannot thank those enough, who have already got behind this incredible cause.”

Dr Abraze Khalique, medical advisor at UKMF added: “One of the biggest faults is poorly fitting masks. But we have people throughout the supply chain who can confidently source masks which are compliant with all relevant legislation.

"Prevention is critical in reducing unnecessary deaths and overcrowding in intensive care units and other health care facilities.

“We will continue to source as much PPE as we can and give it to those who need it most across the UK.”