Property Industry’s Hands-On Help In Tackling Crisis

Companies and staff from around the new homes and property industries are making considerable efforts to help customers, fellow workers and communities during the coronavirus crisis.

Pennyfarthing Homes has donated funds and resources to local schools in Hampshire – Milford on Sea Primary School, Priestlands School and Fordingbridge Infant and Junior School – in order to help ensure that children continue to get access to school meals during the schools’ shutdown. At Priestlands School, the donation will support a minibus service delivering food to help families in need as well as the food bank at the school which will distribute family food packages.

Responding to a local appeal from New Forest Basics Bank, the company has also provided a minivan and driver to transport food from Waitrose supermarket and depot to Lymington Food Bank, which has moved from a three-day to a five-day week in response to the crisis.

Pennyfarthing Homes’ executive chairman, Mark Adams said: “We are a locally based family firm and like so many, wanted to help. The schools know and can decide where best to deploy the funds, where support is most needed so releasing extra cash from our community support programme directly to the schools gives them that flexibility. We are just happy that we are in a position to help.”

Luxury bungalow provider, RoyaleLife is offering up 21 of its two- and three-bedroom holiday lodges free-of-charge NHS workers in Rutland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RoyaleLife CEO Robert Bull said: “Key Workers are essential for us to combat COVID-19 and their strength and commitment to the cause is highly inspirational. We wanted to do our bit to show our appreciation to this incredible workforce during these unprecedented times.

“As a thank you to the tireless work our incredible NHS workers do, we are offering 21 lodges at our luxury leisure development, Royale Ranksborough Hall in Rutland, free of charge to NHS workers who are required to stay away from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that this small act of kindness will help in what is otherwise an extremely stressful time.”

Redrow has been donating equipment to NHS Trusts across Britain. In addition, the housebuilder’s founder, Steve Morgan, has committed to £1million a week from his foundation to charities to help tackle the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on society. More than 50 organisations approached him for help across north Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire. He said: “The £1m per week will go into a war chest because we are at war against coronavirus. People who know me know I don't like the limelight but now is not the time to hide in the shadows.”

Midlands estate agent Nicol & Co is donating £100 to Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust for every new instruction signed up by Tuesday 21 April, to thank them for their work in this time of medical emergency. The company has branches in Droitwich Spa and Worcester and has been taking the lead in using technology to provide house-hunters with ‘virtual tours’ of property from their own home.

Matt Nicol, managing director of Nicol & Co, said, “I’m sure we are all very grateful to our NHS for all that they are doing in their huge battle against COVID-19. While we’re all self-isolating at home, modern media communication means that business as usual can continue as we prepare for when the pandemic is over. People wanting to sell their homes should know that there’s a captive market out there sitting in their own living rooms looking for things to do.”

Hometree.co.uk has announced that frontline NHS workers can take out free Home Care packages during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company believes that NHS workers shouldn't have to worry about protecting their homes from emergency breakdowns.

A spokesperson said: “We want to join companies from other industries that have generously offered their support to our amazing healthcare workers, giving them peace of mind when it comes to their homes. For this reason, Hometree have made this offer available to both existing and new customers who are NHS workers. For new customers, they can either sign up online or call us on 0800 368 9881. Once they've signed up, they simply fill in the form located here, our Customer Success team will verify your ID and your free Home Care Package will then be active.”