As a company we usually support sports, tv and film heroes, but we decided it was time to start supporting our local heroes too.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started to increase in the UK, we knew we would have to step up and help support those around us in our local areas. During the first few weeks, our team recognised the bravery and sheer dedication from key workers around the world during this unprecedented situation and decided to show our support for them.
Charlie (Social Media & Marketing) suggested the idea to provide treats and essential food packages for those in need around our head office based in Exeter. From this idea, food was collected, bags were bought and the packing began at home! Some items used in the bags were "Charity sweets" from the Children's Air Ambulance, so a donation was made towards the charity and we will continue to support them further in the future.
On Tuesday 31st March, Charlie (with the help of some family members) delivered 30 treat bags full of sweets and chocolates to NHS staff at the Royal Devon & Exeter hospital . We wanted to give the nurses, doctors, porters, administrators and everybody else on the front line a small gift to show our true appreciation for everything they have been doing for our local community during these very difficult times. The bags were safely delivered to the RD&E charity team, who then distributed them to all the key wards impacted by COVID-19.
We also wanted to show our appreciation to the families of other key workers around the city. Local children of key workers have still been going to schools while their parents/guardians were working at hospitals, supermarkets, police stations etc. We wanted to ensure that the children understood that we appreciated the sacrifices that they also had to make. We contacted a local nursery in an area of highest social need near to us (Chesnut Nursery) who were keeping their doors open for children from local schools/nurseries around the area and found out exactly what they needed. 15 different treat bags were made for the children to enjoy and 10 food parcels with essential foods were also donated to the families.
In the coming weeks, we are hoping to send out more treat bags and food parcels to other key workers around Exeter. As a team we are looking to continue our commitment towards our local community and to further our charitable actions and donations throughout 2020. Our main charity of the year is Will's Way, to whom we have already pledged to donate £ 1,000 worth of memorabilia for auctions or raffle.
We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all the key workers and their families! If you're part of something special too, please share your efforts with us on social media. We look forward to hearing from you!
- The Exclusive Memorabilia Team
