SPAR UK has delivered 1 million pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Marie Curie Nurses working on the frontline as part of their innovative ‘PPE Click & Collect Service’.

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity. It employs more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals. With its nine hospices around the UK, it is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS. Marie Curie Nurses have relied on PPE to continue delivering vital care to dying people, with and without coronavirus, throughout the pandemic.

SPAR UK has helped the charity deliver the vast quantities of essential PPE needed to their frontline staff by transporting PPE around the UK and enabling staff to pick it up from their local SPAR store.

Weekly needs
Across the South West and North of England, Marie Curie Nurses use an average of 118,000 pieces of PPE a week. Thanks to the generosity of SPAR UK wholesalers James Hall & Co. and Appleby Westward, Marie Curie Nurses have been able to collect their PPE, including face masks, aprons, gloves, visors, goggles, and hand sanitiser from their local SPAR store.

Since May 2020, over 1 million vital PPE pieces have been delivered safely to Marie Curie Nurses. Overall, 150,000 nursing hours have been protected thanks to SPAR’s support.

Marie Curie Healthcare Assistant Flora Snape has worked for the charity for eight years and can travel anything up to 25 miles one way from home.

“It’s a real privilege to care for people at the end of life and support families during a very difficult time. PPE is vital for us to continue delivering vital care during the pandemic”, Flora said.

“I’m so happy that I could pop into my local SPAR and pick up my PPE, rather than waiting for it to arrive in the post. I’ve been able to do a bit of shopping at the same time, which is very convenient for my colleagues and me”, she added.

“At a time when coronavirus has had, and continues to have, a devastating impact on our fundraising and income, this initiative from SPAR UK has helped the charity save vital funds. So, on behalf of the nursing service, I would like to say a big thank-you to SPAR for making this possible.”

Peter Dodding, Sales and Marketing Director for SPAR’s wholesaler James Hall & Co in the North of England, said: “We feel incredibly privileged to be partnered with Marie Curie and to have played a small part in helping their community nurses continue such essential care during this difficult time. Thank you to our independent SPAR retailers and company owned SPAR stores for making this possible.”

Source: SPAR UK
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About SPAR UK

The UK became a member of SPAR in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers. There are now five regional partners in the UK. A central office in London provides national marketing and buying services for the group.

SPAR has led the highly competitive convenience market in the UK for many years. Always innovative, the five regional partners have continued to grow the brand. SPAR UK comprises independently-owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores. These include forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhood stores.