Coronavirus business update: Latest news across the North West
Manchester-based consumer products group PZ Cussons is to donate 500,000 bottles of Carex Hand Wash and Hand Sanitiser gel products to charities, vulnerable community support groups and NHS key workers across the UK.
The donation will see bottles of Carex’s essential antibacterial products given to a variety of charities and trusts including more than 350,000 to In Kind Direct to support a network of thousands of charities and NHS key workers across the UK, 30,000 directly to Age UK, 15,000 to Macmillan Cancer Support, 5,000 to schools and nurseries in Manchester via City in the Community, and weekly donations to Manchester Foundation Trust Charity to support more than 20,000 care packages for NHS workers across Greater Manchester and Trafford.
In addition, PZ Cussons will continue to donate thousands of bottles to local charities including Seashell Trust, as well as UK-wide NHS trusts, the Nightingale hospitals and key workers such as the Manchester Fire Service.
Ian Henderson, global head of brand, Carex, said: “These are extremely challenging times for many people, and we are absolutely committed to supporting those in need.
“Everyone at Carex and PZ Cussons wants to help in any way they can and as a manufacturer of essential products that help stop the spread of COVID-19, it’s our obligation to ensure they get to those that need them the most.
“We are working tirelessly to support a variety of incredible charities, community and key worker support groups with their UK-wide efforts.”
Rosanne Gray, CEO of In Kind Direct, said: “We and the charities are hugely grateful for their ongoing support, which continues to make a real difference in these difficult times.”
Julie Neville, charity patron of Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, said: “Thank you so much to the whole PZ Cussons team who have been absolutely amazing. I know that the NHS staff and the patients that they are able to care for will be eternally grateful to yourselves and the other companies who have supported this care package appeal.”
Damian Waters, CBI North West regional director, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the support business heroes in the North West are providing to their local communities at this critical time.”
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Oldham College’s Sewing Academy was forced to close when coronavirus put campus on lockdown, which should have meant for a quiet time for Beverley Whittaker, the college’s tutor assessor for fashion & textiles.
However, instead, she has turned her skills into sewing scrubs for NHS Frontline workers.
Bev is working with the Bury, Oldham and Rochdale ‘Scrub Hub’ as part of a network that has popped up all over the country coordinating sewers willing to offer their services.
The supply of scrubs – the plain clothes worn by medics when dealing with patients – hit a shortfall after increasing numbers of NHS staff began using them as part of their personal protective equipment which needed to be changed more frequently to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Beverley Whittaker
“The Scrub Hub has been fundraising to buy fabric, and they then drop it off to the volunteers, of which there are many,” said Beverley.
“I’m aiming to make as many scrub sets as I can, but with the fabric I have, I have just got eight sets made and now I’m waiting for more supplies.”
It has been a team effort. Chris McAndrew in campus management has been accepting fabric from the Scrub Hub delivery driver at his home and bringing it into Oldham College for Beverley to get to work.
Despite the unusual working conditions, Beverley is grateful to be able to help out in a time of need: “It’s fantastic to have a skill that I can put to good use and help the desperate situation for frontline workers.
“They are literally crying out for scrubs, and they can request them on the Scrub Hub sites which means hospital staff can then get the right sizes to fit them.”
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As well as keeping power flowing across the region, key workers from Electricity North West are also working as volunteers to ensure people across Greater Manchester don’t go without food.
Colleagues from the power network operator have teamed up with charity The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) to deliver food bundles to families in and around the area.
On top of their critical role in managing the electricity network daily, two Electricity North West vans will also make trips around Greater Manchester delivering goods such as fresh fruit and vegetables to those in need.
Demand for the service is at an all-time high and the charity, which makes life more affordable for people on a low income as well as reducing food waste, has moved from its 5,000 sq ft Littlers Point facility to the 35,000 sq ft Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Trafford Park, to help cope with the sheer volume of food.
Electricity North West staff Steven Nairn and Matthew Rain
Engagement and partnership lead at Electricity North West, Jill Hendry, who helped set up the partnership with colleague Yvonne Frost, said: “I’m immensely proud Electricity North West is supporting The Bread and Butter Thing, it’s a fantastic charity which provides a lifeline for families across the region.
“In what is an extremely challenging time for everybody, we wanted to give additional help and support where possible.
“Working alongside my colleague Yvonne, we’ve pulled together a rota to ensure our key workers can help out daily delivering fresh fruit and vegetables as well as maintaining the electricity network.
“We’ve had a tremendous response from colleagues who are proud to be serving communities in Greater Manchester.”
Formed in 2016, TBBT, has grown to seven vans and 29 community partners and since the coronavirus pandemic the charity is now delivering 55 tonnes of food, the equivalent to 130,000 meals per week to more than 3,700 homes.
Last year, the charity provided more than 1,800,000 meals to families in need across Greater Manchester and Rachel Reid-Fernandez, operations manager at TBBT, said: “We’re enormously grateful for the support that the Electricity North West team are providing in helping us get TBBT daily deliveries out to our communities each day.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in need during the coronavirus crisis and we’ve more than doubled our operation to ensure that we can support families across the North of England. The logistics support from Electricity North West is vital in making this happen.”
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An audio visual and IT equipment supplier has been able to help NHS staff work remotely during the coronavirus pandemic with support from Lloyds Bank.
Bolton-based IDNS provides large-format displays and supplies a range of audio visual and IT hardware and software. Its 5,000-strong customer base includes schools, universities and the NHS.
However, when the coronavirus pandemic hit and a UK lockdown was announced, many of IDNS’s customers were forced to close, leaving the business facing cashflow issues.
Turning to long standing banking partner, Lloyds Bank, managing directors David Shuttleworth and Darren Clayman were able to secure a seven-figure loan through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, allowing them to safeguard jobs for their team of 70 staff while covering other business overheads.
The loan has also given IDNS the working capital boost needed to meet essential orders for teams on the frontline of the NHS.
The firm has already supplied hundreds of laptops, headsets, desktop speakers, interactive touchscreens and webcams to NHS trusts across the country.
The equipment has allowed NHS teams to communicate remotely while planning and coordinating their ongoing response to the pandemic.
Tech has also been provided to patients receiving non-critical care, allowing them to access face-to-face consultations with clinicians without leaving home.
David Shuttleworth said: “Technology is playing a critical role in helping trusts and hospitals fight coronavirus – allowing them to communicate, collaborate and even interact with patients.
“Not only has this new funding meant we can fulfil essential orders for the NHS, but it’s also ensured our team of highly-skilled staff can continue to meet their commitments and support their families.”
Alistair Pike, relationship director at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “These are unprecedented times for businesses and huge numbers are facing disruption.
“We’re working round the clock to help firms like IDNS deal with extremely difficult conditions during the pandemic. We will be by their side as they emerge on the other side – ready to resume their growth journey.”
TheBusinessDesk.com’s webinar, How to plan your way through to when restrictions are eased, saw partners from Begbies Traynor discuss the key issues facing business owners and managers in the weeks ahead.
