Danish renewables giant Orsted has pledged more than £165,000 (€189,000) in the UK to help support NHS workers and local food banks, as the fight against Covid-19 virus continues.
A total of £145,000 will be donated to charities supporting NHS Trusts in the regions where the company operates around the UK – including Grimsby, Barrow, Merseyside, Brightlingsea and London.
A further £21,000 will go to support the work of food banks in the same regions.
On the east coast, £20,000 each will go to The Health Tree Foundation and Hull Hospitals official charity WISHH, with £15,000 for Colchester and Ipswich Hospital Charity, £2500 each for Rock Foundation and the Hull Foodbank and £1000 for Colchester Foodbank at Brightlingsea.
On the west coast, £35,000 has been allocated for Bay Hospitals Charity, £20,000 for Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, £10,000 for Mid Cheshire Hospitals Charity and £5000 each for Wirral and Barrow food banks.
In London, Orsted is giving £25,000 for Guy’s & St Thomas’ and £5000 for Westminster Food Bank.
Orsted UK region head Duncan Clark said: “Across the UK, the current situation is having a profound effect on families and communities.
“It is at times like these that we must come together to do what we can support each other.
“With this in mind, we wanted to reach out to the organisations in the communities where we operate to pass on our own message of thanks and assist their continuing efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of community workers and families in need of support.”
The Health Tree Foundation charity manager Clare Woodward said: “The Health Tree Foundation has been overwhelmed with the offers of help and support we have received lately.
“This most generous gift from our local friends at Orsted will be put to immediate and practical use, across our three hospital sites and community services, to support staff and patients through the most unprecedentedly challenging time.”
WISHH chair Sue Lockwood said: “This generous support will enable us to enhance provision of facilities for staff at both Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, to support the overall wellbeing of staff both now and in the future.
“Staff across both hospitals have faced major changes as wards have being reconfigured to provide increased intensive care provision, and specific wards designated to care for patients suspected or diagnosed with Covid-19.
“All hospital staff from across the Trust have stepped up to the challenge, dealing with many things outside of their normal routine dealing with new situations and in some cases providing end of life care.
“It is important we support their wellbeing too. This kind and extremely generous donation from Orsted will enable us to achieve this by enhancing our wellbeing provision.”
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay director of people and organisational development David Wilkinson said: “This is a fantastic donation and we are very grateful to Orsted.
“We will be working with colleagues to best identify how to utilise this very generous donation to support them in continuing to do such incredible work, day in day out, to keep us all well.”
Guy’s and St Thomas’ director of Fundraising Catherine Hart said: “I would like to say a big thank you to Orsted for its very generous donation of £25,000 to support the staff at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals and in our communities during this Covid-19 pandemic.
“The gift will be a huge help in funding special wellbeing projects for the extraordinary team of staff, as they work around the clock to care for everyone who needs it at this difficult time.”
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chief nurse Dianne Brown said: “I’d like to thank Orsted for this very generous donation.
“It means so much to our staff, who are working in very challenging circumstances at the moment.
“The funds raised by the Support Our Staff appeal have enabled us to create spaces where our staff can take a moment for themselves and have a properly relaxing break.”
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Nick Hulme said: “We have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity shown towards the NHS during the Covid-19 outbreak.
“This donation from Orsted will make a huge difference to the way we can support our hardworking NHS staff, both during and after the pandemic.”
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chief executive James Sumner said: “It’s no secret that we are currently going through a challenging time.
“Our charity team is currently focusing on supporting the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of our staff and this donation will make a huge difference to this work and to our workforce.”
Rock Foundation CEO Pam Hodge said: “At this time of unprecedented national crisis, the need to pull together as a community to help each other through has never been greater.
“We are so grateful that Orsted pulling together with us in this way, as we seek to serve some of the neediest people in our community.”
Hull Foodbank manager Russ Barlow said: “We are so grateful to Orsted for their donation at such a difficult time for charities and the people they support.
“As we continue to help people, by supplying emergency food parcels to those in need, the support from Orsted is a valuable resource helping our work to carry on through the crisis.”
Wirral Foodbank general manager Richard Roberts said: “Wirral Foodbank would like to thank Orsted for its most generous donation of £5000.
“We are facing unprecedented challenges; demand for our service was already high before Covid-19, we expect this to increase during the lockdown and beyond.
“This donation will enable us to meet the challenges with confidence.”