Morrisons and Nestlé pledge £200k for flood victims
The supermarket made the donation to groups helping families affected by the floods in the north of England and Scotland.
Morrisons boss David Potts said: “We have seen the terrible impact that the floods have had on communities that we serve and we want to do our bit to help.
“This money will help to start the clean-up process which will be a huge challenge over the coming days and weeks.”
Flood appeals in Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Scotland and Cumbria will benefit from the donation. The cash will be spent on clean-up costs, emergency repairs and emergency supplies of clothing and food and drink.
Morrisons has already donated food and other emergency supplies to crisis centres, while its staff have supported the clean-up, running collections and operating donating stations. Store cafés have also been used to provide free meals for displaced families.
One of York’s biggest employers
Nestlé – one of flood-hit York’s biggest employers – has donated £100,000 to the York Flood Appeal – taking the fund to £137,000 in just 48 hours.
The money will be used to provide essential household items, such as carpets and washing machines, and the costs of living in temporary accommodation or paying for extra heating.
Nestlé UK and Ireland’s chairman and ceo Fiona Kendrick said: “As one of York’s biggest employers, it has been very concerning to see the effect of these floods on the local community. We want to join those who have rallied round to support the relief effort, including many of our employees, and we have already been able to provide food, drink and other supplies.
“We now hope this £100k donation will help the York Flood Appeal provide vital support to those in need at such a difficult time.”
Nestlé boss on York flooding
“As one of York’s biggest employers, it has been very concerning to see the effect of these floods on the local community. We want to join those who have rallied round to support the relief effort, including many of our employees, and we have already been able to provide food, drink and other supplies.”
- Fiona Kendrick
‘Overwhelmed by the response’
City of York Council said the donation would make a key contribution to flood recovery. Its chief executive Steve Stewart said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the response from both businesses and members of the public who have offered their time, donations and financial assistance to give relief to the people directly affected and the communities around them.
“We thank Nestlé for this generous donation, which will undoubtedly go a long way to helping York residents get back on their feet.”
The lord mayor of York, councillor Sonja Crisp, who serves on the board for the York Disaster Fund, described the donation as “fantastic” news. “We have over 600 families affected by the floods in York and the fund will make a huge difference to the help we can provide to those families in need.”
Yesterday (January 3), Prime Minister David Cameron pledged a £40M package of spending to shore up flood defences in Yorkshire overwhelmed by torrential rainfall during Storm Eva. The money followed £50M dedicated to help local authorities respond to record rainfall.
Meanwhile, the Scottish government’s resilience committee met yesterday to discuss the flooding threat, as the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency issued about 30 flood warnings.
The Met Office has issued flood warnings for Moray, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perthshire and Stirlingshire.
The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu
“After all the grim experiences which York residents have had to cope with during and following our recent flood, it is tremendous encouragement to hear that our city's historic chocolate industry is once again leading the way in local philanthropy with a £100k donation to the York Disaster Fund 2015 Flood Appeal. The need is very great – I am sure Nestlé's lead will urge others to follow.”
