More than 830,000 items of PPE are being donated to the region's care and voluntary organisations on behalf of West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.

A subsidiary of IM group is making the donation, with the Solihull-based company saying it wants to ‘boost the supply for many people working in local voluntary, health, and social care roles in  organisations across the region’.

The donation has been made via the Mayor’s Office, with the Mayor asking Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust (UHB) for help in ensuring the 830,000 masks reach those that need them most. 

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “This is an incredible donation and I cannot thank IM and their team enough.

“Throughout the pandemic businesses across the West Midlands have done what they can to support the region’s efforts to tackle the spread of Covid-19, and this is yet another phenomenal example of that.

“With the NHS relatively well-stocked, I have asked BVSC and UHB to help us identify the community workers and organisations most in need of this PPE.”

Masks have started to be delivered across the region from a warehouse in West Bromwich, where the haul is currently being stored. The Mayor visited the warehouse earlier this month alongside IM Group’s managing director Andrew Edmiston.

Mr Edmiston said: “The West Midlands has been one of the worst hit areas, and we want to help ensure that vital PPE continues to be available for those working so hard to protect us on the frontline in the wider community.

“We hope that this donation of 830,000 items of PPE from one of IM Group’s subsidiary companies, will help to make a real difference and boost the supply for many people working in local voluntary, health and social care roles in organisations across the region.

“We decided to make our donation via the Mayor’s office because we are so aware how active Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, has been in supporting local charities and businesses, and we want to support them in their efforts as much as we can.”

Brian Carr, the chief executive officer of BVSC, added: "On behalf of Birmingham's community and voluntary sector, we are extremely grateful for this fantastically generous donation.

“The masks are already being put to good use – 4,000 are going to a local care home; 10,000 to organisations supporting people with disabilities; 20,000 to our local food distribution partners; and the remainder are being distributed to our city and regional networks of local community support charities.

“Although we can all see some light at the end of the tunnel, we're also very aware that the Covid crisis isn't yet over and protecting vulnerable people and frontline care and support workers is of paramount importance. Kind donations like this one help us to do exactly that."