A FAMILY-RUN Stevenston company is helping kids cope with coronavirus by making personalised face masks using their own drawings.

Pauline Gilmour and Duncan Smith’s firm, Natural Wraps, manufactures eco-friendly alternatives to cling film from beeswax and rice bran.

Now they’ve made it their mission to help families conquer the anxiety of having to wear face coverings.

Pauline came up with the neat idea to personalise masks so kids will feel more comfortable wearing the virus guards the public.

The mother of five and grandmother of nine, said: “I know that allowing kids to use their creativity and create something as unique as they are lets them feel that they’re part of the process.

“They should hopefully feel a lot more excited about wearing a mask, especially as they can show off their own artistic skills.

“Anything we can do to alleviate worry and stress after everything schoolchildren have been through in 2020 has to be a good thing.”

Kids can download and print off a template, colour it in however they want and the family’s company, FlashFace, will use digital printing technology to bring their creations to life.

The service is also available to adults, but Pauline, who founded the business with son Duncan Smith, hopes it will be especially helpful to younger people.

Government advice is that face coverings should be worn where social distancing is difficult, such as in supermarkets and on public transport.

The family are giving North Ayrshire residents a 30 per cent discount on all face masks to help them follow the official recommendation.

The FlashFace masks aren’t designed with clinical use in mind, but are proving popular across borders.

Orders have come in from countries including Spain, Italy, Denmark, France and Switzerland.

He said: “During the pandemic, we had to shut the factory for a couple of months, and we thought about what we could do to keep our people in work.

“Our ethos is about reusable stuff and we saw a lot of stories about masks being thrown away, so we thought this was a nice fit.

“Next year people might not be wearing masks, but in the meantime there is a need.”

You can download a free template and then use the discount code ‘Local30’ online at FlashFace.co.uk to buy a mask which costs £11.95.

Talented Scottish seamstresses will then sew and make the fun and unique masks from 100 per cent pure cotton that will last dozens of washes at high temperatures.