Moy Park has awarded over £60,000 to 15 community organisations across the UK for projects aimed at supporting and enriching the lives of those in need.
The awards mark the first tranche of groups to benefit from the £1 million fund Moy Park established earlier this year to support community groups local to its operations across Europe.
Applauding the applications, Moy Park’s HR and Performance Director, Kirsty Wilkins said; “From community allotments and outdoor play areas to culinary workshops and volunteer training, we were blown away by the creative and caring projects aimed at supporting those in our local communities.
“Our commitment to contribute to the wellbeing of the communities in which we operate has always been at the heart of our business. We draw most of our employees from the areas surrounding our facilities and we see our neighbours as important partners. We are delighted to support these local groups and look forward to receiving more applications throughout the coming year.”
One group to benefit from the Moy Park Community Support Fund in Northern Ireland is the Blackwater Community Barge organisation in Dungannon.
The organisation helps make the Blackwater River which borders counties Tyrone and Armagh, accessible to disable and less able people and members of the public. The group aims to support wellbeing, boost mental health – drawing on calming elements of the water - and teach users more about nature and the local landscape.
Brian MacAuley, Secretary from the Blackwater Community Barge said; “With support from Moy Park and through fundraising activity, we will be able to purchase a new purpose-built wheelchair accessible boat. With this, we can reach even more members of the community who may not have been able to enjoy riverside and water activities previously and will benefit from seeing the local area in a new way.
“While we have not been able to take users out over the lockdown period, the Blackwater Community Barge group has been busy carrying out conservation work on the river, getting it ready for when the barge arrives. We are incredibly grateful to have secured funding from Moy Park’s Community Support Fund and look forward to supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of those in our community further through this project.”
Pictured: Brian MacAuley, Andrew Trotter and Jim Lamb from Blackwater Community Barge are pictured with Dermot Hawkins from Moy Park Dungannon.
Another group to benefit from the Moy Park Community Support Fund in England is emergency response charity, LIVES in Grantham. The group has been granted £12,850 towards a defibrillator replacement programme. A LIVES responder carries their own defibrillator, so that they are ready for any 999 medical emergency they are called to, and when minutes matter in a cardiac arrest, the LIVES responder and their defibrillators really do make a difference.
Zoe Dean, Community Partnerships Manager at LIVES explained, “We are thrilled to have been awarded support from the Moy Park Community Support Fund. The defibrillator replacement programme is a costly task, but the benefits will be extensive. The new defibrillators will allow the data recorded to be uploaded to the patient's records and will allow the hospitals to make a more informed decision on patient care. The new equipment will also allow us to evaluate our CPR activity and drive future training. This project will fund 10 defibrillators in the Grantham area and we are extremely excited to be working with Moy Park on this project.”
Pictured: A LIVES Emergency Responder is pictured during training.
Applications to apply for a grant from the Moy Park Community Support Fund can be made via Moy Park’s website https://moypark.com/community-support.
