A LIFESAVING face mask firm which launched earlier this year has pledged the giveaway of one million masks to help protect the public during the booster vaccination programme.

Grand Tour presenter and local resident Richard Hammond helped officially open the hi-tech business in Ross-on-Wye’s Alton Business Park in September, and now it is all revved up to help in the new front against Covid.

Dean Kronsbein, co-founder and chairman of Ultrafilter Medical, will personally give away the first 100,000 masks in his hometown of Ross from 10am on Christmas Eve (Friday, December 24).

Families who could otherwise struggle to afford masks will be welcome to collect a box of 50 UK-manufactured Ultramasks free of charge from The Market Place.

The state-of-the-art masks are used by frontline workers, including staff of Wye Valley NHS Trust, Herefordshire Council, the Swiss Government and hospitals across Germany.

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

"While the success of the vaccination campaign has seen fewer serious infections recently, we now know that antibody levels fall off after a few months.

"This fact, combined with the relaxation of restrictions through the summer and autumn has seen a significant jump in infection rates to almost record levels.

"With the arrival of the Omicron variant, it is now even more important that people take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones.

"Wearing a medical-grade face mask is one of the simplest ways to do so."

Made with a high-efficiency nanofiber filter media that has been lab-tested and certified as having a retention rate of 99.8%, the Ultramask offers a higher level of protection than the 98% bacterial filtration of many imports currently sold on the high street.

Crucially, it is also "more comfortable to wear" thanks to the fine nanofibers it uses to filter viruses from the atmosphere, said the firm.

That makes it easier to breathe due to the "lower differential pressure" - a key benefit at any time of year, but even more so during the cold winter months, with the increase in coughs and colds.

Dean continued: "While the percentage performance difference of the Ultramask versus imported masks may seem small, when you’re dealing with stopping the penetration of millions of microscopic viruses through a face mask, even a small percentage change in filtration efficiency can be life-saving.

"To be truly effective, face masks should be changed every four hours to prevent virus breakthrough.

"Many of the fabric masks we have seen people wearing offer incredibly limited protection as the holes in the fabric are too large to trap viruses, but buying regular supplies of disposable masks is an expense many families simply can’t afford.

"That is why we are launching Britain’s biggest ever mask giveaway; to make sure those who can’t easily afford to protect their families have access to high-quality, comfortable masks that are proven to be effective reducing at reducing transmission."

Following the first Big Mask Giveaway in Ross-on-Wye, Ultrafilter Medical will organise similar events around the country.

It has also launched an online shop to allow members of the public to order masks directly from its factory. For further details, visit www.ultrafilter-medical.co.uk

The 90-staff Ross business is the brainchild of Dean and his son, managing director Dustin Kronsbein.

Dean is one of Britain’s leading technology entrepreneurs having spent the last 20 years building an international group of companies specialising in the manufacture of high-efficiency filters for the removal of bacteria and viruses.

With a £3.6m investment from the Kronsbeins, Ultrafilter Medical has transformed warehouses on Alton Business Park into a state-of-the-art facility, equipped with mask manufacturing machines designed by its own engineers who are specialists in filtering airborne viruses.

Dean previously said: "At the start of the pandemic, when PPE was in short supply in the UK, we asked ourselves how we could use our wealth of experience in filtering airborne viruses to help save lives and make the UK independent of overseas mask imports.

"I wanted to help my country, it was a call of duty. We also wanted to create much-needed employment and career opportunities for local people here in Ross-on-Wye."