How TPG DisableAids stepped up its community-minded efforts during the pandemic
Hereford-based TPG DisableAids have always believed in giving back and enriching the community, but when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold over 18 months ago the retailer was committed to carrying on where it could.
Staff donated to foodbanks, signed up for the NHS support service, offered free wheelchair hire for those struggling to get to vaccinations, produced thousands of free face ‘mask exemption’ badges and helped to make face masks.
These were all projects that took part as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold, the retailer stated, and lockdowns meant that the team were not as busy as normal, but it also went further to make things easier in the local community.
TPG DisableAids could have taken the decision to furlough staff and reduce services but its Managing Director Alastair Gibbs said that this didn’t sit well with them.
He said: “We had many discussions with both our senior managers and the greater team as a whole about the impact COVID was going to have on the business.
“We have worked hard for over 30 years to become what I call a ‘solutions provider’ and as a company we knew there were going to be people needing those solutions more then ever.
“The team agreed we couldn’t justify reducing our service but instead continued to offer a full service to customers and used any extra time or resources we had to help the community where we could.”
Jayme Bacon, Head of Sales at TPG DisableAids, added: “TPG DisableAids also continued to help charities and local people as much as possible, at a time when many were pulling away from supporting others due to cost, resourcing or attentions being focused elsewhere.”
The firm supplied access ramps for a charity restaurant in Hereford called The Living Room, which supports homeless people.
It also partnered with Handicare to supply and install – for free – two stairlifts for local charities.
Most recently, with the support of Billy Billingham, star of SAS: Who Dares Wins, it donated an ex-demo powerchair to a local veteran.
The firm also adopted some local wasteland and planted wildflowers for the enjoyment of the local elderly neighbours.
Jayme added: “We all know it has been a hard 18 months, but thanks to Alastair and the team at TPG, things have been just that little bit easier in their community.”
Trading since 1985, TPG DisableAids serves five counties from its Hereford base where it provides a full range of mobility and living aids.
Last year, the retailer unveiled a patient handling training academy, which enables care and nursing staff to become fully qualified and then cascade the training internally and helping to save money for budget-restricted social care providers.
