Recently, our fantastic team of Area Sales Managers from up and down the country donned their work uniforms, grabbed their litter pickers, and headed out to help clean up their local areas!

As a UK manufacturer, it is important to us here at Heckmondwike that the land we live on is clean, tidy, and remains a wonderful place to live for everyone. It’s essential to us to do our bit for both the environment, and for the people who live in it. So, we arranged a day where our eager Area Sales Managers could make an impact on their own communities, by cleaning up discarded and unwanted litter.

As well as looking unsightly, litter is bad for the environment in several different ways. Firstly, as it degrades, it releases chemicals which are harmful to the earth and air. It is also known to harm and kill animals who may encounter it. Discarded rubbish can also be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and diseases which can spread amongst humans and animals, as well as encouraging the spread of pest species. All these reasons make it clear just why it’s important to clear up as much litter as possible, in order to protect the world we live in.

Bob Mortimer, our UK Sales Manager, said: “Bringing together our area sales managers from around the country on this initiative was something both myself and the company were very passionate about. Whilst we can’t clear the entire country of litter, doing our bit to help clean up our local areas, whether that’s in Scotland or South London, feels like a great way of making a small but firm difference.”

“As a company, going forwards we’ve pledged to give our eco-conscious sales managers a day of work-time each year to take part in a local litter pick, contributing to the clean-up of their communities!”.

Heckmondwike (part of the National Floorcoverings Ltd. group) are proud to announce that we have recently partnered with fantastic local charity Cleckheaton Food Bank, to help them make a difference within our neighbouring communities.

Looking for a way to give back to those in need locally, we got in contact with Cleckheaton Food Bank, and after an initial conversation and a couple of meetings it was agreed that we would provide two volunteer delivery drivers and the company van on a weekly basis, to assist in handing out pre-packed food parcels for the food bank.

Set up in early 2020 as a direct result of the pandemic, Cleckheaton Food Bank currently prepares and hands out up to 50 parcels a week. The pandemic, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis have all resulted in more and more families finding it increasingly difficult to support themselves, with basic living requirements such as food becoming progressively more unaffordable. Now more than ever this service is being called upon by families in Cleckheaton and the surrounding areas, whose lives have been made more difficult by the crises.

Jason McKelvey, Works Manager here at Heckmondwike said, “As a company, we were keen to increase our engagement with the local community, and so held a group management meeting where we discussed what we could do within the local area to help. We were keen that we did something that would make a real difference for people locally, and with the food bank being such a key part of helping those in the area in need, it was the perfect choice to give back.”

Josie Pugsley, Volunteer Coordinator at Cleckheaton Food Bank said, “When Heckmondwike and National Floorcoverings first contacted us, we were blown away with their offer. We are entirely volunteer run, and having a local company offer to support us in such a way is amazing. It’s important to us that Cleckheaton food bank is part of our local community – getting local businesses involved in such a direct way is just brilliant.”

David Rhodes, Group Managing Director for National Floorcoverings Ltd added, “I am very proud of the way in which the Heckmondwike staff and employees have taken on the challenge of giving back to the local community across both our manufacturing sites and look forward to seeing our partnership with Cleckheaton food bank develop. As a business, we will continue to find and support other deserving causes long into the future.”

If you’d like to find out more about how you can help, please contact CleckheatonFoodBank@gmail.com or visit https://cleckheatonfoodbank.weebly.com/ for more information.