City of Wolverhampton Council has thanked Wolverhampton Wanderers FC owners Fosun International for donating 4,000 protective masks which will be used by frontline social care workers.
The donation from the China-based global consumer group will enable social care workers and those working in service users' own homes, care homes and children's units to do their crucial roles safely.
Shortages have seen stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) running low and last week the council put out an appeal for businesses and other organisations to donate the essential kit.
Council leader, Cllr Ian Brookfield, said: “The donation from Fosun actually came before we put out our general appeal and this is a sign of their commitment to our city. We are truly thankful for this kind donation which will help to save lives.
“Fosun is the owner of Wolves and the club is a massive part of the fabric of our city. This is yet another example of us all pulling together as one-city.
“We still need more donations of PPE. We know that many local businesses have had to temporarily suspend or drastically reduce activities and it may be that they have some PPE which they can spare, so I would urge them to please get in touch if they can support us in any way."
Wolves owner and Fosun founder and chairman Guo Guangchang said: “We are so grateful to the health and social care workers fighting to keep us safe. Fosun, the club, and its business partners, would like to stand with the people of Wolverhampton, at this challenging time.”
The donation was made in partnership with Beijing Heaven Pictures, a Chinese film maker. The president of the business, Mrs Luo Fang, rallied to Wolves owner’s appeal for donations, and said: “We are saddened by the lives that are lost and deeply touched by the amazing efforts of our medics and social workers.
“The UK is where my daughter and I reside and we wanted to contribute to the front-line fight, with our friends at Fosun and Wolves Foundation.”
City of Wolverhampton Council is asking businesses to donate any spare PPE they currently have in stock including:
Fluid repellent disposable gowns – EN13795
Nitrile non-sterile gloves - EN 374
Plastic aprons – category 1
Eyewear and face protection - EN166
FFP2 and FFP3 masks - EN 149
IIR Surgical masks - EN14683
Donated products must be within their use by date and must adhere to the relevant standards.
Any business that can help is asked to contact the council as soon as possible by emailing covid19procurement@wolverhampton.gov.uk with full details of any PPE which may be available.
Businesses selling PPE should please visit https://bit.ly/3dNlpaC. Please provide information around the certification of items if all possible.
The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/coronavirus. There’s lots of advice on how people can protect themselves and their families from coronavirus from the NHS at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.
