RB supports vulnerable communities around Berkshire as part of its Fight for Access Fund

Donations of over half a million pounds will be used to provide key services and support to those most vulnerable and affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Slough and the surrounding area

Our impact

09 Jul 20204 minute read

Download the press release here

9 July, 2020, Slough, UK – RB, a global leader in hygiene, health and nutrition, announced today it is taking action to support vulnerable communities in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire who have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

RB, whose global headquarters are located in Slough, with over 1,000 employees, is donating over half a million pounds to the local Berkshire Community Foundation (BCF), as part of its commitment to support all communities, including those closest to its home. Through BCF, charities and voluntary groups have been identified to provide access to essential services such as tackling food poverty, providing mental health support, and caring for the elderly and infirm in the wake of the pandemic.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the charity sector has been mobilising, providing critical support to the most vulnerable groups in their communities. Yet these charities are facing financial difficulties and struggling to secure funds and volunteers at a time where there is more demand on their services than ever. RB’s donations will support the immediate and urgent needs of several of these local organisations.

Slough CVS, part of One Slough, is one of the organisations that RB is supporting, helping with essential services to ensure the most vulnerable have basic access to food, medicine supplies and mental & emotional support. The donation will allow Slough Foodbank to provide more than 2,000 families access to urgent food products, and Slough Community Transport (SCT) to provide 3,400 prescriptions, over the next 6 months1. RB is also providing urgent support to other local charities, so that they in turn can continue to provide their services at this critical time.That includes mental health support (Mind), protecting the most vulnerable including children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions (Sebastian’s Action Trust), supporting families with young children (Home-Start), and of course, helping the elderly (Age UK) who are facing increasing loneliness and stress during the pandemic.

“Protecting the vulnerable of Slough, whatever it takes is part of the COVID-19: One Slough Community response of which Slough CVS is a part of,” commented Jaime Green, Chairman, Slough CVS: “Over the last 11 weeks we have delivered a weekly shopping service to 249 households, 927 families have been supported with regular food, 1957 families have been supported by food bank and 5,621 prescriptions have been delivered. We were delighted, when RB contacted us to offer their help in fighting for access during COVID-19.”

Susan Egstrand, Regional General Manager Northern Europe; UK & Ireland at RB said of the initiative:

“We are delighted to be able to support the local community where we live and work at such a difficult time. The most vulnerable in our society have been the hardest hit by the pandemic, so we are proud to be able to give something back with the help of these amazing charities, who have themselves been put under significant strain as a result of the crisis.”

“The pandemic has had implications on the lives of many, with people suffering from lack of food, financial difficulty, mental health issues, isolation and education challenges. We hope these funds can help alleviate some of these issues in our local area.”

The donation of funds, amounting to over £557k to date, has been made possible through RB’s Fight for Access Fund, a global initiative set up to set up to improve access to health, hygiene and nutrition for all. The Fund is a demonstration of RB’s Purpose and Fight to heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. Globally, RB has committed to ringfence the equivalent of annual investment of 1% adjusted operating profit to support the Fight for Access Fund, so far in the UK RB provided £1m of aid to help support the NHS in the fight against COVID-19 with Dettol care packages and advertising spend donation to HM government.

For further information:

Havas SO Lydia.Fisher@havasso.com

Please visit the websites below for more information on some of the charities supported:

References:
^{1. One Slough Enabling Community Resilience Impact agreement}