Leonard Cheshire care workers across Gloucestershire and the wider South West region have received 500 protective face shields thanks to an initiative in Devon and Somerset.

PPE4Exeter is an Exeter-based team of volunteers, small businesses and organisations that are working together to produce and distribute protective face shields to local health and care workers.

They donated more than £1,200 worth of visors to leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire, who are currently spending £400,000 every month on PPE.

And that's why Punchline has named the philanthropic circle its latest Business and Community Champion - an initiative backed by GFirst LEP, the Growth Hub, Gloucestershire County Council and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Leonard Cheshire runs 120 care homes and supported living facilities across the UK, with 4,700 frontline staff caring round the clock for 2,700 vulnerable disabled adults.

Fiona Rourke co-founder of PPE4Exeter said: "We have been completely overwhelmed by the response of our local community networks to help us deliver this emergency response project. Our extended care services and the safety of service users and staff are of crucial concern.

"It has been a privilege to be able to extend our help to the Leonard Cheshire network within the South West."

Although out of their general catchment area, PPE4Exeter kindly extended their donation to Gloucestershire House, a Leonard Cheshire care home in Cheltenham, where the visors were delivered ready for distribution to the charity's other services in the South West including St Teresa's in Penzance.

Hugh Fenn, executive director UK services at Leonard Cheshire, said: "Our dedicated staff are working hard to care for disabled people across the UK. Protecting our carers and the people we support is our number one priority. With the urgent need for PPE being a continuous challenge, it's donations like this that really do make all the difference.

"We're very grateful to PPE4Exeter for coordinating this fantastic donation and helping us to protect our frontline staff."

Send us your inspiring stories - you don't have to write them, just tell us about them and we will do the rest. Email beth@moosemarketingandpr.co.uk 

Punchline's Business and Community Champion Awards are sponsored by:

GFirst LEP 

https://www.gfirstlep.com 

info@gfirstlep.com 

The Growth Hub Gloucestershire

https://www.thegrowthhub.biz 

talktous@thegrowthhub.biz 

Gloucestershire County Council

https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk 

customerservices@gloucestershire.gov.uk 

 Gloucestershire OPCC

https://www.gloucestershire-pcc.gov.uk 

01452 754348