People & Communities
Supporting people through Covid-19
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we responded to the immediate crisis by providing a £10 million aid package of support to local and international communities.
As part of this, we donated £1 million to two Manchester-based charities and provided £4 million worth of critical products and services to vulnerable people and keyworkers in Manchester, including NHS staff on the frontline. Additionally, we donated 3.5 million units of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the health and care system in Greater Manchester. Utilising our global supply chain, we were able to source more than 25 tonnes of medical-grade PPE and airfreighted the goods to the UK, with the project worth £2 million. The remaining £5 million was pledged to support people outside of the North West, including international markets.
As the UK faced unprecedented changes to daily life, we adapted our business to support people most in need. Our in-house catering team were redeployed to deliver one million meal packages and food parcels for vulnerable people and food banks in the North West. We also made all 70 rooms in our Great John Street Hotel and King Street Townhouse available to support both NHS and Greater Manchester Police staff working away from their families. In addition, circa 10,000 free, ready-to-cook meals were given out to employees at our Warrington Omega facility, who were able to take home a meal for two at the end of each and every shift, reducing the need to visit busy supermarkets struggling with shortages of food essentials.
We are an ambitious business with a global focus, but still a proud champion of the community from which we have grown. We will continue to support social innovation in the North West, while seeking opportunities to make a positive impact on the global communities in which we operate.
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