Like many of you, all of us at Premier Inn have been deeply moved by ongoing international events in many parts of the world right now. We have already pledged £500,000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee and have so far donated over 50,000 duvets and pillow sets to help people in Turkey and the Ukraine. Now – inspired by an idea from our Supply Chain Manager and with the help of aid charities and our amazing suppliers – we’re on the road again with donations set to continue throughout 2024.
Humanitarian Aid Convoy – we partnered with Hope and Aid Direct to donate and deliver up to 2,000 mattresses to those in need
We partnered with Hope and Aid Direct – an incredible humanitarian aid charity – to donate and deliver up to 2,000 mattresses to support people affected by ongoing humanitarian crises as part of our longstanding Force for Good promise. As part of the project, many of our suppliers were tasked with donating, storing and delivering the items to humanitarian aid shelters. We are incredibly grateful for their support.
Empowered by the business, this project was the brainchild of our Supply Chain Manager Nathan Phillip, who identified an opportunity to align our bed replacement scheme – believed to be the biggest of its kind in UK history – with aiding people who need help and being a Force for Good.
Nathan commented: “We’ve been undergoing our bedding replacement programme, upgrading tens of thousands of duvets and pillows – as well as all of the mattresses across our hotels. While the items were at the end of their commercial life, they weren’t at the end of their useful life. So we identified an opportunity to donate them to people in need."
He added:
“We are incredibly humbled to have learned so much during the course of this project. It has been an incredible privilege to develop this initiative and more so to have the pleasure of working with truly inspiring people who have donated their lives and their time to helping those in need. Whilst every situation – be it war or natural disaster – is dynamic in its own way, where possible we will continue to explore options to helping people in other parts of the world as and when it becomes logistically possible”.
To ensure the mattresses were delivered successfully, we worked closely with Hope and Aid Direct as well as other partners, including charitable partner Ukraine on Palms to overcome the many logistical challenges associated with donating large items like beds to areas affected by war and natural disaster.
Watch the UK convoy
Charles Storer MBE, Head of Operations at Hope & Aid, said:
“Hope and Aid is a bridge between corporates and charities – we take aid, not sides. But when it comes to giving aid, many companies don’t know where to start as humanitarian aid logistics aren’t as simple as they seem. Most of our relationships with businesses are through third party organisations, but we have a unique relationship with Premier Inn in that we work directly with them to form a plan of action to quickly get those things where they need to be. We started out with the duvets and pillow sets, and now the mattresses are a very welcome continuation of our partnership, which will help people in unimaginable circumstances get a better night’s sleep. I implore other companies to follow Whitbread’s lead.”
The first convoy of Hope and Aid trucks filled with mattresses – led by Charles and supported by a team of volunteers – left during summer 2023, with stops made along the way to pick up more items at Premier Inn hotels in Germany. Deliveries will continue throughout 2024.
Dominic Paul, CEO of Whitbread, said:
“Our donation of mattresses is a fantastic example of Force for Good in action – as well as the power of partnerships. One of our team had a brilliant idea, so we offered the tools and resources to make it happen”.
He added:
“Sleep is a fundamental human right and we’re pleased to do our bit in a small way to make lives easier for those in unimaginable circumstances. We’re extremely thankful to all our suppliers who have helped make this goal a reality”.
Our longstanding Force for Good strategy is geared round a simple ethos – we strive to be a Force for Good in everything we do, and we care about the communities we operate in and the world around us. From ambitious Net Zero targets to donating surplus food to communities in need, we’re proud to be setting industry-leading goals.
If you’ve been inspired by the Premier Inn bed convoy and would like to help the people displaced by war, Hope and Aid Direct have donation points across the UK – find out more here.