Bentley Motors has extended its ‘Be Safe’ health and safety programme to look after the local community in Cheshire, as well as Bentley colleagues during the coronavirus crisis. The company is focusing on using its specialist skills to 3D print over 30,000 face-shields and supply them to the Cheshire care sector, including all care homes, the NHS and other local community services. Simultaneously, Bentley is donating personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, facemasks, safety glasses and seat covers. The company is also extending its Bentley ‘Meals on 22 inch Wheels’ service, where colleagues volunteer to deliver essential items in the community.
The 3D face-shields are being created by Bentley’s specialist engineering teams, using their engineering expertise and 3D printing facilities. The 30,000 face-shields, fully manufactured at Bentley’s factory in Crewe, will supply the Cheshire care sector, which includes all 95-care homes in the area, the NHS and other local community services.
Bentley has also provided a range of urgently needed PPE items to local health services. This includes a donation of 20,000 pairs of disposable gloves, 10,000 facemasks to the local care sector and 1,800 disposable seat covers to NHS primary care and community services. In addition, Bentley has donated over 40 safety glasses to its local hospital, Leighton Hospital, with further PPE to be provided over the coming weeks.
Colleagues at Bentley are also busy helping meet the needs of the local community, where many people are struggling to access food and prescriptions. Colleagues have helped to deliver parcels for local foodbanks and charities and are now ramping up to help shop and drop off vital medical supplies through Cheshire East’s People Helping People programme, using a range of company vehicles.
Commenting on the support efforts, Dr. Astrid Fontaine, Bentley’s Board Member for People, Digitalisation and IT, said:
“This is such an incredibly difficult time for everyone and with our number one priority being the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, their families and our communities, we are determined to help as best we can”.
“We are utilising our world-leading engineering and manufacturing expertise, the remarkable vehicles and resources we have available to us, and also our extraordinary colleagues, who are going to such efforts to help the local Cheshire area and the healthcare professions, locally and nationally, who continue to perform such heroics. We will endeavour to work with the whole community in the proceeding weeks and months to help in every way possible in this time of great need.”
