STAFF at Brockhill Extra Care have hundreds of reasons to smile after welcoming a donation of 300 face masks from Amey, the UK infrastructure services provider responsible for waste collection in Woking, as part of its Making a Difference programme. The campaign aims to protect fellow key workers and vulnerable people against COVID-19.

The retirement home on Clifton Way, Goldsworth Park, received the masks after Amey’s team of key workers in Surrey were invited to nominate a care home to be given a selection of personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks and aprons.

The 300 items are part of a 90,000-strong collection being donated to key workers at nominated organisations across the UK where Amey operates. Amey has been working alongside social enterprise Ethical Stationery to deliver the parcels.

Diana Chan, acting home manager at Brockhill Extra Care, said: “We’re over the moon with the donation. It’s been well documented that access to PPE has been a challenge at this critical time, so it’s incredibly refreshing to see companies such as Amey support their fellow key workers and get behind the effort to ensure that care workers and their residents remain as safe as possible.

 “We’re grateful that we have this extra resource and are humbled by the fact that we were nominated out of all the care homes in Surrey.”

 Nicola Blake, account director for Amey’s waste collections services team in Surrey, added: “Protecting those who are vulnerable, and those responsible for their care, is a priority during this difficult time and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support Brockhill as part of our Making a Difference initiative.

“As someone who manages a team of key workers in Woking, I know that it’s essential that we not only do our very best to ensure the safety of those who provide an essential service, but also take the opportunity to help others wherever possible.”

 The donation has been made possible by Amey’s Spanish parent company, Ferrovial, and its COVID-19 Juntos (Together) Fund – a €10million (about £9million) global initiative aimed at supporting charities and organisations at the front line of the fight against coronavirus.