THE manager of a Woking pub has won a national award for his work supporting frontline NHS staff during the first lockdown.

Cee-Jay Williams, of the Junction Tap on Chertsey Road, received the British Institute of Innkeeping’s  Heart of the Community Award to recognise his efforts from March to July. He is one of only 22 recipients of the accolade this year.

Cee-Jay bought a 3D-printer using his bonus money and was quickly producing hundreds of units of personal protective equipment (PPE) each day.

He said: “I’m honoured to have been awarded this accolade by the British Institute of Innkeeping. It really means a lot both to me and my friend, Tim, who was also part of our printing initiative. When we started printing way back in March, I had no idea we would achieve so much.

“It’s devastating to be back in a second lockdown, but rest assured we will be working hard to support our community as we go through another difficult period.”

Cee-Jay also raised funds to help pay for the filament he needed to print, and bought his own sterilising kits and packaged everything in Ziplock bags.

He produced more than 4,000 units of PPE, including face shields, ear savers and nose clips needed for masks, depending on what was most in demand at the time.