Coronavirus update: Business news across the North West
The total ‘LCR Cares COVID-19’ community support fund has now topped £700,000, thanks to a further donation of more than £120,000 from the National Emergencies Trust.
Around 80 local groups and charities supporting the most vulnerable members of the Liverpool City Region community have now been handed a share of more than £330,000 in funding.
Friday (April 17) saw the award of a further 27 grants to organisations from across the city region receive funding for their vital work – from food banks in Wirral and Knowsley to advice and support networks in Halton and Sefton.
LCR Cares was launched by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram in partnership with registered charity Community Foundation for Merseyside to support local community and voluntary organisations on the frontline of helping the city region’s communities cope with the impact of coronavirus.
Steve Rotheram said: “It’s fantastic that we have passed the £700,000 mark on our way to our £1m target for LCR Cares, thanks to the generosity of individuals, businesses and organisations.
“It’s even better that we’re getting that money out into the community nearly as fast as it’s coming in. We’ve now given out more than £330,000 and we’re already hearing the human stories of the difference that is making.
“Thank you to everyone who has given and I’d like to encourage people to give what they can – now more than ever, we need to stand together in solidarity.”
Rae Brooke, chief executive, Community Foundation for Merseyside, said: “In the early stages of this crisis the Metro Mayor did what we hope anyone in a position of leadership would do and that is take swift and decisive action for the benefit of those they serve.
“The most vulnerable people in the Liverpool City Region are now benefiting from that positive leadership and the Community Foundation for Merseyside will continue to ensure the funds from the LCR Cares Covid-19 Community Support Fund go to those community organisations where there is most need and where it will have greatest impact.”
Details on how to donate are on the Combined Authority’s website. Search “LCRCares” or visit www.lcrcares.co.uk
Community organisations can apply for grants by visiting: www.cfmerseyside.org.uk
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Liverpool BID is joining with a national campaign, #RaiseTheBar, to enable businesses to access vital funding in their battle to survive.
The campaign is asking central government to expand the rateable value threshold for all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses from £51,000 to any business with a rateable value up to and including £150,000, allowing businesses the opportunity to access the £25,000 grant.
The campaign is supported by industry-wide bodies that represent more than 100,000 businesses across the UK.
Organisers say the retail, hospitality and leisure sector is vital o the UK economy and must be protected at all costs.
The retail industry alone generated £394bn-worth of sales in 2019 with 306,655 units across the UK.
In 2019, the UK leisure sector reached more than £111bn in sales.
The UK hospitality sector employs more than 3.2 million people, that is 11% of UK jobs, making it the third largest sector in the UK, accounting for £130bn in revenue, six per cent of all businesses and five per cent of GDP.
Bill Addy, Liverpool BID Company chief executive
In Liverpool, changing the rateable value would impact almost 224 businesses not currently eligible for the grant in the Liverpool BID areas, covering the commercial district and the city centre.
Changing the rateable value upper limit to £100,000 would add another 172 businesses into the total, with a grant amount of £4.3m. Raising the limit to £150,000 would mean support for a further 52 businesses, a grant totalling £5.6m of support to 607 businesses in total.
Feedback from businesses suggests that they are carrying significant stock losses and are still facing immediate cash flow challenges that wage subsidies will not address.
Many are not in a position to take on further debt or have serious misgivings about being able to survive the recovery and service loans.
To date, 80% of businesses have been excluded from government loan support schemes due to their size or European Union State Aid rules.
These are some of the most adaptable businesses and the economy will need them to stave off the threat of cessation, so that they can play their role in rejuvenating the economy and contributing to community wellbeing.
Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID and chair of the BID Foundation, said: “We cannot underestimate the importance of our retail, hospitality and leisure sectors and not just to what they bring to our economy but the people that are employed within them.
“That is why the Business Improvement Districts across the UK are supporting the #RaiseTheBar Campaign in asking government to increase the retail, hospitality and leisure rateable value threshold from £51,000 to £150,000. In doing so, more business will have access to a £25,000 grant supporting their fight to survive and to allow them to play their central role in kick-starting our economy.”
To support the campaign visit www.change.org.uk
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Liverpool-based Morecrofts Solicitors has acted through its network of trusts to support a host of local and national charities left in crisis by the outbreak of COVID-19.
As the appointed trustee for a large number of family and charitable trusts, Morecrofts partner Carol Mason and her team have been able to identify a range of good causes and make donations totalling in excess of £100,000, so far.
Local charities supported by the trusts under Carol’s direction include Garston Animal Rescue, Shy Lowen Pony Sanctuary in Netherton and the Beechley Stables (Riding for the Disabled) in Calderstones Park.
The Horses & Ponies Protection Association (HAPPA) and the Masonic Charitable Foundation have each received substantial amounts, while a further large donation has been made to the National Emergencies Committee to support those most affected by the outbreak of the virus.
Carol Mason
PDSA, RSPB and Guide Dogs are among a host of other charities to have also benefited from the trusts’ donations.
Carol said: “Liverpool has a proud history of philanthropy and our team is in a unique position of trust, where clients empower us to make day-to-day decisions about donations or investments on their behalf.
“At this time of unprecedented crisis, many charities are facing serious financial challenges, so we are pleased to be able to direct some support their way. More than ever, we know it’s crucial that we continue to support our communities as much as possible.
“Our local knowledge means we are well-placed to identify those charities most in need and we also make every effort to match those needs with the specific interests or passions of the philanthropists who created the trusts in the first place.”
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Caldeira has reopened its Knowsley cushion factory to make Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for front line healthcare workers.
For the next few weeks, at least, the site will be used to make protective gowns which can be used by the NHS, local authorities, care homes and other key workers.
The majority of the gowns produced by Caldeira will be used across Merseyside, with the first batch of 1,000 to be delivered to Liverpool outlets later this week.
The company is hoping to rapidly increase its production of gowns and hopes to be producing more than 1,000 every day by the end of the week.
Caldeira is part of a team of textile manufacturing companies who are all keen to “do their bit” to help the country and front line staff in the battle against the coronavirus.
Peter Bibby, of Lancashire-based British Bespoke Workwear, has assembled a growing team of textile manufacturers to provide some urgently-needed UK manufactured PPE.
The factories, between them, are currently making around 35,000 pieces of PPE per week.
Once more fabric supplies arrive they aim to double this to 70,000 per week by mid-May and hope to make 100,000 pieces each week by the end of May.
Each factory is in a different town or city, primarily across the North West, and will deliver locally made PPE to their local NHS Trust, local authority and local care homes.
Caldeira’s managing director, Tony Caldeira, praised the efforts of all the firms involved in the scramble to set up new production lines to help save lives: “Peter Bibby has done a remarkable job in pulling together the different companies to help British Bespoke Workwear deliver the PPE to those in the greatest need of it.
“Each company involved has its own team of heroes who have made their own personal sacrifices to help those with a greater need at this most difficult of times.”
Caldeira staff at work on the gowns
He added: “This is our Dunkirk moment, as we all deliver small shipments of PPE to our local heroes in the NHS, care homes, local authorities and others on the front line.
“As Britain battles against this terrible virus, if the PPE we are making helps slow down transmissions, reduces infections and ultimately saves lives, we will have done our bit.”
The team at the Cushion Factory in Knowsley are typical of the companies involved in this effort, as factory manager Shaun Fletcher explained: “When the lockdown began and the shops were forced to close, all our cushion orders were pushed back until further notice.
“We had no choice but to furlough the factory.
“But once we saw the news and the urgent need for PPE, as soon as the fabric became available we all decided that we wanted to help – so we have reopened the factory.”
He said: “We have had to change the production lines around. The sewing machines are now 2m apart with staff now working front-to-back, rather than face-to-face, plus other changes.
“We want to protect the NHS, its patients and others on the front line, but it’s also important that we keep our staff safe, too.
“Tony and I are really proud of the way that the Caldeira team has responded to this challenge. We hope that Caldeira can make a difference and help Britain beat the virus.”
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Liverpool FC has shared a special message of appreciation and support in recognition of NHS workers and health professionals on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Anfield turf has been carefully marked by LFC’s grounds team using a GPS line marker to create a special tribute to NHS staff ahead of Thursday’s opportunity to ‘Clap for our Carers’ which thanks them for their bravery and selflessness.
Liverpool Football Club said it is proud to join the nation in paying tribute and saying a heartfelt ‘thanks’ as people up and down the country come together to show appreciation and gratitude for the heroism of health professionals and other key workers during these challenging times.
