A YOUNG businesswoman whose life was saved twice by staff at St Peter’s Hospital has donated hundreds of her company’s healthy snacks to keep them going during the coronavirus outbreak.

Julianne Ponan has suffered from the severe allergy anaphylaxis since she was two years old and was treated at the hospital in Chertsey for pancreatitis when she was nine and 17.

“I was given four hours to live, but they saved me and I thought it would be good to give something back,” Julianne said.

The business management and finance graduate set up the superfood company Creative Nature eight years ago because of her experience with food allergies.

The company makes a range of healthy snacks aimed at people with various allergies and those seeking an alternative to other snack food.

Julianne has delivered about 1,000 snack bars to the hospital and a foodbank.

“Some of the NHS staff are working such long hours that they don’t have time to eat. This way, they have something healthy and fast to eat,” Julianne said.

She said she hoped the donations would inspire other food companies to do the same.

“We must all work together in this,” she said.

Creative Nature won the FSB UK Small Business of the Year award in 2018 and Julianne was named the FSB Surrey Young Person in Business and Real Life Entrepreneur.

She is a mentor for Virgin Startup and a keynote speaker, including giving a speech at a recent Woking Chamber of Commerce lunch.