STUDENTS from St Anselm's College in Oxton have joined the fight against Ebola by sending essential medical supplies to their twinned school in Makeni, Sierra Leone.

It is all thanks to Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, who have provided gloves, aprons, and masks amongst other items to tackle the medical crisis.

Since the initial plea was made to CWP's recycling and infection control teams, over three car loads of supplies have been collected by the school.

Students collected the items from Kent House and St Catherine's Hospital in order to pack and prepare them for pallets which are then shipped to Makeni. Fundraising by the college will cover the cost of shipping and customs.

Avril Devaney, CWP's director of nursing, therapies and patient partnership said: "CWP already has links with a mental health unit in Africa and we recognise that the benefits of such links are mutual.

"We were delighted to be able to support St Anselm’s with their link to a school in Sierra Leone, especially at this time of crisis.

"Together, we have been able to provide much needed supplies to those at the heart of the situation, so that they can help people most affected by the disease."

Sierra Leone is currently badly affected by the spread of the Ebola virus, and general medical facilities throughout the area are under severe strain.

Many medical facilities are paid for up front, so the donated equipment means money that was previously spent on this equipment can now be spent on other essential medical supplies.

St Anselm’s College became involved with Sierra Leone when a former headmaster was killed there during the civil war and a group of students visited the area in February.

Following the outbreak of Ebola the school wanted to help those in Makeni and over a tonne of aid has now been sent to the region.

Headmaster Simon Duggan said: "We are proud of the work our community has done in supporting our friends in Makeni.

"The fact that we have been able to work in partnership with branches of the NHS has allowed us to concentrate our limited funds on getting the much needed equipment to those people fighting this dreadful disease on the ground.

"We plan to send a shipping container with even more equipment early in the New Year.

"If anyone can help us fill this container we are looking for specific items that will support the hospitals in Makeni, and will also welcome help as the area begins to recover."

For more details on the campaign contact assistant headteacher Louise Baines on lbaines@st-anselms.com