A Netherseal-raised man suffering from Coronavirus is offering his company's services for free - after being inspired by personal reasons in more ways than one.

Stephen Brown runs Euro Projects Recruitment - Executive, Professional & Technical Recruitment Specialists in Coalville - and is making the gesture in an attempt to find people to speed up the production of life-saving ventilators for the NHS.

Mr Brown says he is recovering from a bout of suspected Coronavirus - but is also concerned for a family friend from Coalville who is currently in a critical condition due to the disease.

And Stephen says his wife is a nurse, which means he knows the pressure for ventilator equipment the NHS is under at the moment.

Euro Projects has told engineering businesses about to go into ventilator manufacturing that his company will find people to design and build these machines for them - and will do so at no cost.

Stephen, the company's Managing Director, is self-isolating but told Swadlincote Nub News: "If we can do anything to help ventilator production and alleviate the current situation using the resources available to us then please get in contact."

He explained that his own Coronavirus symptoms are now easing - but that his friend's battle against it makes him want to do something to help combat the outbreak.

Stephen, who lives in Swepstone, said: "I picked up suspected Coronavirus in France two weeks ago and had a cough and headache.

"It started with a cough but I didn't think it was the Covid virus.

"But as time progressed, I realised it probably is.

"Now there is a total loss of taste and smell which is what makes me think that it's probably what I've got, even though I haven't been officially tested.

"I've been really lucky though and I'm grateful I immediately isolated to avoid passing it on.

"Because my wife has been an intensive care nurse, we know the importance of this type of high-tech ventilation equipment."

Stephen says the epidemic made him wonder what he could do to help and he initially put out a message on LinkedIn offering his firm's services.

He added: "You feel powerless when you have a family friend who's poorly.

"You think: 'What can we do? What have we got that we can offer'.

"The call is for people to pull together.

"Then we realised that one of the things is that we recruit engineering and manufacturing professionals and if the country is about to go on a war footing to make ventilators, they need expertise.

"We have the skills to find that expertise and hopefully position it where it's needed.

"We would like to hear from any of the companies who are now being asked to shift into ventilator manufacturing.

"In addition, we also work with a number of medical technology companies - we're in a position to be able to recruit more people for them.

"We are connectors, we bring people together, collaboration is what our business is based on. 

"What we're looking to offer is any support needed by the big industry players - automotive and aerospace. For instance, it has been announced Dyson are going into ventilator manufacturing. Airbus, Jaguar Land Rover and McLaren have all been mentioned.

"If any of those companies want to turn to ventilator manufacturing and feel the need for more people and expertise, we can bring our networks together.

"We also have great companies in this area - it only takes one person to see this - who can put us in touch with the right contact. And with our contacts we can help them to compress the time to getting ventilators made.

"We have also had engineers responding to volunteer their services to help. There's been a similar altruistic viewpoint, people want to do their bit."

But he says the gesture by his company fits in with the ethos of the business.

Stephen added: "Since starting up, we've always wanted our recruitment business to be different, our motto is 'We're not in the business of making placements, we're in the business of saving souls'.

"We say that anyone who's had a soul-destroying job will know what we mean by that.

"We're still a business, but we have that purpose and meaning to what we do.

"We've always carried it in our heart that we're not out to make a quick buck, we're here for the long term and doing the right thing for the people we serve.

"Recruitment isn't high on anybody's agenda right now. We are working from home now, there's 20 of us and we have a lot of resources which we can still offer to do good."