Westgate recycling initiative donates £12,000 to support charities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
Westgate’s sustainable approach to one of its innovative partitioning products, Hoardfast, has generated £12,000 from recycling end of life uPVC panels.
Hoardfast, a modular walling system, saw increased demand during 2020 due to the requirements of many sectors and businesses to install safety screening, along with the need to create new areas within existing spaces. This increased demand led to more panels reaching the end of their reusable life and being processed for recycling, where they are manufactured into new uPVC items.
By working closely with their recycling partners, Westgate have maximised funds generated from the recycled materials and have donated the full £12,000 equally between four charities that the company felt were seeing increased demand due to the pandemic. Child Poverty Action Group, Mind, NHS Charities Together, and Refuge all received £3,000 each to help support their much needed and amazing efforts.
During the past two years Westgate has donated over £40,000 through its Hoardfast recycling and CSR initiative.
Ian O’Reilly, Head of Community & Events Fundraising at Mind, said: “We are really grateful to Westgate for choosing to support Mind through their Hoardfast recycling initiative.
It continues to be a really challenging time and many of us will be feeling the impact of the pandemic on our mental health and wellbeing, especially for those of us with existing mental health problems. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year, and it’s so important that no one has to face this alone.
Every donation that Mind receives allows us to campaign to improve services and provide information and support. This includes through services such as Mind Infoline, legal line and our online peer support community for adults, Side by Side, so we can be there for as many people who need us as possible.”
Alison Garnham, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) Chief Executive said: “We are delighted that Westgate is donating £3,000 to CPAG.
When kids grow up poor they miss out, and so do the rest of us. They miss out on the things most children take for granted: warm clothes, school trips, having friends over for tea. They are likely to do less well at school than their better off peers and to earn less as adults. As we are bringing children up, poverty is bringing them down. That isn’t right.
Last year, CPAG’s work reached over 36,000 families. This donation will help even more struggling families.”
CPAG’s works on behalf of the more than one in four children in the UK growing up in poverty. It doesn’t have to be like this. CPAG uses its understanding of what causes poverty and the impact it has on children’s lives to campaign for policies that will prevent and solve poverty – for good. CPAG provides training, advice and information to make sure hard-up families get the financial support they need.
Ruth Davison, Refuge CEO said: “We are incredibly grateful to Westgate for their donation to support Refuge’s lifesaving and life changing work. The pandemic has drawn into sharp focus the sheer level of demand for specialist services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.
Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline, the country’s gateway to specialist services saw a large spike in calls and contacts logged – and we expect that to continue, as lockdown restrictions are eased further.
The window to call for help, which is ordinarily narrow, become limited further during periods of lockdown, with many women isolated with their abusive partners and unable to reach out for help. During this time Refuge introduced new and innovative ways for women who needed us to access support. This generous donation will help us ensure no woman or child is turned away from accessing the support they need and deserve.”
Ellie Orton OBE, the chief executive of NHS Charities Together said: “I am so grateful for the financial support Westgate has given to NHS charities and I love the double benefit of materials being recycled and generating funds for good causes. The money they have donated will go towards supporting NHS staff across the UK at what continues to be the most challenge period in the NHS’s history.”