Construction firm helps out Derbyshire pupils with free stationery kits

Willmott Dixon sent more than 800 free stationery kits to pupils across the East Midlands | Other 3rd Party

More than 800 stationery kits bound for a trade fair have been re-assigned to help vulnerable pupils in the East Midlands whose schools have now closed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

A team from the construction firm Willmott Dixon decided to move quickly when they heard the Government announce the school closures by diverting the kits full of pens, notepads and other useful stationery from their original destination at the Big Bang Careers Fair in Birmingham.

Instead, the team worked overnight to send the kits to a network of schools across the Midlands, including counties such as Derbyshire, so they could be given to pupils who need them the most.

Marie Wilkes, Willmott Dixon’s senior community engagement manager in the Midlands said: “When we heard the Government’s announcement to close schools, we wanted to see what we could do in a short space of time to help.

"Despite the tight deadline, the team quickly pulled together to pack and distribute more than 800 kits to schools to be passed on to pupils before they left.”

Willmott Dixon is adopting a number of ways to limit the spread of Covid-19, including reducing all face-to-face meetings to those that are business-critical and using technology like Skype to conduct meetings with colleagues, customers and suppliers.

It also has implemented a rigorous cleaning policy on sites to ensure the virus can’t linger.