Trade unionists at Bedford Borough Council have donated hand sanitiser, disposable gloves and other personal protective equipment to defend front-line workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Bedford Borough UNISON branch bought the equipment to support staff still required to meet people face to face, such as carers, social workers and those in the 24/7 HUB, getting food and medication out to Bedford’s most vulnerable residents.
Refuse workers and staff in crematoriums will also benefit from more than 10,000 disposable gloves, 20,000 aprons and 20 bottles of hand sanitiser in the first donation.
Face masks are also on the way and the branch plans more PPE donations as the pandemic continues.
It used the money saved because of cancelled conferences and training sessions to buy the life-saving equipment, working with the council to identify what PPE was most needed.
UNISON Bedford Borough branch secretary Kiran Mal said: “This pandemic has shown the true value of the local government staff — working day in, day out to keep the country running through these unprecedented times.
“We wanted to do our bit to make sure these local services heroes don’t put themselves in danger as they keep up their vital work.
“UNISON always stands up for public services and those who work in them. It’s more important than ever that we support out local government workers.”