A HEREFORDSHIRE medical company is trying to give back to the local community as it hands out more than one million face masks worth more than £1 million.

Ultrafilter Medical, based in Ross-on-Wye, makes medical-grade face masks for various organisations, including the Wye Valley NHS Trust.

And it has also been giving out face masks in Ross-on-Wye and Ludlow as part of its big mask giveaway campaign.

While face coverings are no longer be compulsory in England, their effectiveness in reducing transmission of the virus means they are still advised in enclosed or crowded places, the firm headed by Dean Kronsbein said.

Mr Kronsbein, the co-founder and chairman, said the firm was running the campaign for help families who would otherwise struggle to afford masks.

The type IIR masks being given away are also used by frontline workers, including employees of Herefordshire Council, the Swiss Government and hospitals across Germany.

Mr Kronsbein said: “Wearing a mask has consistently been shown to be one of the key ways to reduce the spread of Covid-19, limiting the amount of virus transmitted by infected people and also offering a reduction in the amount of virus inhaled by mask wearers.

“While vaccination is a key part of the fight against Covid-19, the prevalence of the Omicron variant means our health services continue to be under pressure.

"Wearing a medical-grade face mask in public spaces is one of the simplest things we can all do to protect ourselves, our vulnerable loved ones and our national health services."

The factory, in Alton Business Park, was officially opened in the autumn, with TV presenter Richard Hammond shown around.

The company is the brainchild of Dustin and Dean Kronsbein who, after running the company for 20 years, invested £3.6 million into transforming warehouses into the state-of-the-art facility to make the masks.

Around 67 people have been employed at the factory, with the firm saying one million masks a day can be made there.