With fewer trains running due to coronavirus, and even fewer passengers taking the train, train operator GWR has donated almost £10,000 worth of on-board catering to a host of good causes across the Great Western network, including hospitals and food banks.
Rather than let date restricted food and drink usually sold on board its trains go to landfill, GWR has offered it to those in need through its network of 3,000 front-line staff. Items include cake and biscuits and other perishable snacks, as well as just-add-water filter coffee cups, and recycled paper bags to help make-up food parcels.
GWR Catering Operations Manager Sarah Creaser explained: “We have a number of colleagues across the business who are active in their local community who were asking what more they could do to help, and one of the ideas that regularly came up was to help provide food and drinks, from our on board snack range, to those most in need.
“Rather than let food go to waste, where we have been made aware of a requests for help we have been able to work with our partners at Rail Gourmet do so, supporting the communities we serve.”
To date GWR has contributed almost £10,000 worth of stock including providing cakes to Torbay General Hospital, thousands of tea cups and ready-to-use filter coffee cups to Cheltenham Hospital, as well as a variety of items to other worthy causes such as:
- South Western Ambulance Service
- North Bristol Food Bank
- Fareshare, various sites including, Bristol
- Roots Independent street team, Bristol
- Shekinah mission – Plymouth
- Derriford hospital – Plymouth
- Quwwat-al-Islam Mosque – Paddington
Also, picking up on a request for help in South Wales, GWR was able to donate thousands of paper bags, contributing to wider efforts to feed people in Swansea.
