Events 4 Covid 19 is an initiative that has connected event industry resources to support those on the Covid19 frontline from March to June across the North of England. It provided two collaborating support groups – one for the North West and one for the North East.
The combined project resulted in the following:
- Benefited over 177,000 individuals across the North of England at time of crisis.
- Assisted over 152 organisations with their Covid 19 response.
- Sourced and distributed over 170k items.
- Saved charities over £65k in equipment hire, services and goods.
- 127 varying requests for help completed providing equipment, infrastructure, PPE, sustenance, and services.
- Provided a lifeline to several organisations.
- Over 212 amazing suppliers donated and contributed towards the initiative.
- 139 days volunteered by the team.
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Core projects that Events 4 Covid 19 team carried out across the North East included, SONGS 4 SMILES, which provided morale boosting outdoor entertainment for care homes and assisted living premises; FUEL 4 THE FRONTLINE hand delivered bespoke care packages to support the frontline workers during their long shifts, and HAVENS 4 HEROES transformed existing spaces into mindful and stimulating sanctuaries for frontline workers.
SONGS 4 SMILES resulted in performances at care homes, assisted living residences and learning disability care homes across Leeds, Otley, Gateshead, Wallsend, Whitley Bay, North Shields.
Many organisations benefited from sourced and donated items, thanks to FUEL 4 THE FRONTLINE. The first visit was made to the North East Ambulance Service in Hebburn – with a delivery of water, juice and energy bars, followed by Gem Arts at the Elgin Centre in Gateshead, who were busy doing excellent work for the local community providing food parcels and hot meal deliveries to those in need. Donations were also made in Yorkshire, to the Halifax Fire service, Trinity Academy Chapel Allerton Hospital Pharmacy team, Leeds & Yorkshire Teaching hospitals partnership supplies department and finally the Hospitals supplies offices in South Leeds.
The HAVENS 4 HEROES initiative created sanctuaries at hospitals across the North, The North East competed a request to work alongside Project Wingman; transforming the lounge at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead into a tranquil space for the dedicated NHS workers.
Matt Long of New Citizens and spokesperson for Events 4 Covid North East said: “What we have been able to achieve in the last few months is unbelievable – we are very thankful to everyone that has been involved, as without them this wouldn’t have been possible. This is a great example of the events industry coming together in a moment of crisis to assist the organisations that needed it the most. We have created an invaluable network through this, and even though Events 4 Covid 19 concludes, we will still remain for any crisis support in the future.”
Events 4 Covid 19 was initiated in March by Nelson Beaumont-Laurencia of CityCo and Robert Masterson of Mustard Media after being inspired by Portuguese industry colleagues who they have now established an alliance with. At the start, they requested for colleagues to join the aid movement by replicating the scheme in other areas of the UK, which is when Matt Long of New Citizens and Peter Shorten of Immersive Precision joined by starting the initiative in the North East.