Innovating Chichester teenagers make computers and hand sanitiser to support family and local community

With only one computer at home used by his mum, Joshua Minkey said the first week of homeschooling was a ‘complete disaster’.

Realising the family needed a second PC to allow him and his two brothers to do their schoolwork, Joshua used his birthday money to buy the components needed to build one himself.

He said: “I watched lots of YouTube videos, showing you how to build a gaming computer. All the parts arrived separately and it took me a few hours to assemble everything. It was really easy and worked first time. I also fixed by brother’s laptop so he could homeschool separately.”

Fellow former Prebendal School pupil Christopher Hooper, meanwhile, has developed his own hand sanitiser, using a formula from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Working with his dad Andrew, a chemical engineer, Christopher used isopropanol to make more than 80 litres for friends, relatives, neighbours and the local care home.

He said: “I thought it would be fun to do and it’s come quite naturally. It’s not that hard surprisingly. We drove around and gave bottles of it to friends and neighbours around the neighbourhood. They’re really happy.”

Andrew said the sanitiser has helped to protect more than 100 people. He said he was proud of his son who ‘thoroughly enjoyed doing it’.

He added: “Christopher is supported at King Edward’s School, Witley, by the Oliver Whitby Educational Foundation. This is a Chichester charity and we are extremely grateful for the support they have given him.”

Joshua’s mum Evelyn said Christopher’s dedication to measuring and mixing the chemicals, bottling and sterilising was ‘just fantastic’, whilst describing her own son’s work as ‘astonishing’.

On Joshua’s computer project, she added: “I’m absolutely proud of him. Nobody asked him to do it. He did it on his own accord.

“He’d like to help families who are struggling without computers so anyone with unwanted old computers can bring them to Josh and he’ll fix or build new ones.

“There’s lots of empty shops in Chichester so he talks about opening a shop there, making computers or a social place for gaming. He’s having lots of ideas.”

Joshua, who goes to St John’s College in Southsea, said he aspires to own his own computer business in the future.

On the unusual experience of homeschooling, he added: “All my school lessons are virtual learning meaning I can see and talk to all my teachers and classmates. It’s working great.”

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