Solihull


All the latest news, advice and events for the Solihull business community


Contact: Samantha Frampton T: 0121 678 7488


In brief


A Warwick-based engineering company has set up a community-led initiative which has distributed more than 10,000 safety visors to the NHS and care workers. The initiative was launched after 3P


Innovation’s managing director, Tom Bailey, received a call from his former NHS nurse sister (a retired NHS nurse but well connected) desperate for help getting visors. After this phone call, 3P switched part of its


business to designing and making visors on a not-for-profit basis, and has since been helped by a network of several hundred hobby engineers with 3D printers who have come together to print the plastic components for the visors. Using the 3D printed components, 3P can


now produce around 8,000 visors per week. Simon Strothers, business development


director at 3P innovation, said: “We are truly amazed and humbled by the number of volunteers and businesses who have come on board to support this project.”


Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre has joined forces with a local charity to help young people in the city keep a video diary of their lockdown experiences. The charity is Grapevine, which supports a


range of people from Coventry and Warwickshire experiencing isolation, poverty and other disadvantages. Each week, the two organisations will be


posting a new video offering a window into the worlds of 20 young participants, showing them at home, with their families and in their rooms. By the end of the lockdown, the group will have created a video time capsule for anyone to watch – and for the participants to look back on and remember this extraordinary time. Hannah Barker, creative producer at the


Belgrade Theatre, said: As part of our commitment to stay connected with our wonderful participants, audiences, friends and supporters at this uncertain time, we at the Belgrade wanted to use this opportunity to collaborate with our partners at Grapevine to explore new models of creative engagement.”


BNP Paribas UK has announced that it is supporting UK charities to the tune of £500,000. The bank, whose UK personal finance


business is in Solihull, is providing the money to help disadvantaged, vulnerable and isolated people who have been impacted by the Covid- 19 pandemic. The funds are in addition to £500,000


already committed to London’s Imperial Health Charity and brings the total amount of donations by the BNP Paribas group to more than £1m in the UK and $55 m worldwide. Stephen Hunt, CEO at BNP Paribas Personal


Finance UK, said: "In such a short space of time, daily life has changed significantly for so many people. We hope this support package will offer relief and comfort to some of those people who are most in need across the West Midlands and the UK.”


40 CHAMBERLINK June/July 2020 National Grid kicks off appeal


University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) Charity has joined forces with National Grid’s Ventures business to launch an appeal to raise £1m to help patients and staff through the Covid-19 pandemic. Solihull-based National Grid Ventures has kick-started the appeal with a £100,000 donation that will


be used to purchase almost 400 tablet computers for patients that will allow them to speak to their friends and relatives while in isolation. The tablets will be distributed to wards at various local hospitals. UHB Charity works to provide equipment, research and added extras that are over and above that


which the NHS provides, helping to improve the hospital experience for millions of patients each year. Mike Hammond, chief Executive of UHB Charity, said: “University Hospitals Birmingham Charity supports patients, families and staff by funding equipment, facilities and research across our four hospitals. We are delighted that National Grid has given the campaign a massive boost by donating £100,000 towards this target.”


Moors’ first team players and staff to take pay cut


Solihull Moors first team players and coaching staff have agreed to take a 25 per cent pay cut for the next three months, to help the club get through the Covid-19 crisis. This action by the players and coaches will


allow the National League club to continue paying its other staff in full during the time they are furloughed. In addition, the directors and shareholders


have decided to donate £20,000 to the Solihull Moors Foundation, which is the club’s charitable arm. It is through the foundation that the club is able to proactively help and support the local community. In a statement, the Moors said: “The club


remains fully committed to serving our local communities through the Solihull Moors Foundation and our primary concerns are to ensure the health and well-being of all staff and support the local community.” With regard to agreeing to the pay cut, Moors


captain Kyle Storer said: “The players realise that the club are in unfortunate circumstances and think it’s the right thing to do in terms of helping the club out. We are helping the club with the long-term future in mind. Hopefully we can all return to doing what we do best, and we look forward to it when the time comes. In the meantime, all of the players would like to wish supporters and their families all the very best.”


Daryl Eales: Generosity of spirit


The donation to the foundation will allow it to


carry on with its work supporting the local community. Head of community Becci Fox said: “The


Foundation are very grateful for this generous donation particularly in these times of austerity. This money will be put to good use to support all of our initiatives and ensure that we are reaching out to all members of our community.” Moors chairman Darryl Eales added: “The


actions of Jimmy, the coaching staff and the players show the generosity of spirit which exists at the level of the football family. It also shows the underlying unity of the club which will serve us well in the future and I would like wholeheartedly to thank everyone at the club for their support.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72