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.
PPE delivery to local health service.
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.
“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,” said Dr. Astrid Fontaine, Bentley’s Board Member for People, Digitalisation and IT.
“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,” continued Dr Fontaine.
Meanwhile across the English Channel in France Bugatti is donating 120 computer units to be distributed through the joint efforts of ‘Fondation Passions Alsace’ and ‘Librairie LDE’. The computers will be purchased from different suppliers in France and the package consisting of keyboard, CPU and monitor will be put together in the establishments of LDE. The subsequent distribution will be carried out via the Alsatian Regional Councils choosing the pupils who will receive the computers.
“The region Grand-Est here in the North-East of France has been among the risk regions and is, thus, one of the most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. I think everyone has to accept at the very least some cutbacks in this situation, but some have been hit harder than others”, explains Christophe Piochon, Directeur Général of Bugatti and Member of the Board of Management for Production and Logistics.
“Children are our future and we need to make sure that they, too, get out of this crisis with the right tool in their hands – their education. It’s a formidable initiative by ‘Fondation Passions Alsace’ and ‘Librairie LDE’ that we, of course, wanted to support, to contribute our grain of sand,” continued Mr Piochon.
Directeur Général of Bugatti and Member of the Board of Management
for Production and Logistics.
‘Librairie LDE’ – Make EVERY pupil succeed
LDE is an educational bookstore, born in Alsace 20 years ago with the ambition to make every pupil succeed, in close cooperation with the educational system. In order to simplify the teachers’ tasks, LDE offers co-developed solutions giving the educators the possibility to concentrate on the core of their profession and attend to their pupils’ needs. LDE is a partner of more than 3000 establishments in France and abroad. Today, LDE offers educators an educational online platform – free of charge – to create and share classes that ensure the pedagogical continuity with their pupils in just a few clicks: PopLab.
‘Fondation Passions Alsace’ – A foundation for regional initiatives
The ‘Fondation Passion Alsace’ is an Alsaction non-profit organization supporting initiatives of general interest for Alsace or those put into action outside of Alsace by Alsatian associations. These initiatives can concern any domain of society. Today, the foundation also joins the many benefactors and donors who want to engage in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences for our Alsatian society in this difficult and troubled period of time. Already invested with its own funds into the ‘Hôpital d’Obernai’, the ‘Fondation Passions Alsace’ also bundles the efforts of volunteers and donors for many other projects in favor of those who need it the most. This is the case for this donation of computers for Alsatian pupils who are currently in confinement.
“As a society we have been keeping distance from each other, but in a way we have grown together. We are following the measures and regulations, not only to protect ourselves, but also to protect others”, said Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti.
“We are all looking forward to the ramp-up plans of our governments. They will come soon, but step by step, so that many children will keep learning from home, at least partially. We hope that this donation helps them through this situation,” concludes Mr Winkelmann.
Photographs by Bentley Motors and Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.