National Business Response Network launched to bring support to local needs
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As the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on towns and cities across the UK intensifies, the need to link business support to community in the right place, at the right time and at the right scale has never been more urgent.
Business in the Community – The Prince’s Responsible Business Network with over 750 companies in membership, has launched the National Business Response Network to identify community needs across the UK and match them to the right business support.
Through Business in the Community’s vast regional and local connections and leaders on the ground, the National Business Response Network identifies national and local community needs from community groups, schools, local authorities, local resilience bodies, charities and alliances such as the British Red Cross Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership and small businesses. The network then connects business resources to meet the following needs:
Food:
Ensuring people have continued access to food.
Technology:
Support to enable children to continue learning, and older people to stay connected to families.
Social care:
Support to vulnerable groups and older people to enable continued access to food, healthcare, social interaction and other essentials.
Small businesses:
Creating resources with advice and practical tools specifically for small businesses; providing business continuity and wellbeing support through mentoring for small businesses.
The business resources we will be matching to community needs are:
Professional support:
Using the untapped resources and goodwill of member companies to provide human resource to support communities in the UK.
Lending/donating resources:
Lending or donating resources to organisations and people to meet need.
Logistics:
Transportation of people, goods and services.
Amanda Mackenzie OBE, chief executive of Business in the Community, said: ‘We know the impact that businesses can have at times like these and our members tell us every day how much they want to make a difference to those most in need.
‘Founded over 40 years ago by HRH The Prince of Wales, we are the oldest and largest network of our kind, bringing business together on resilience, emergency response and long term recovery. Whether it is floods, cyber attacks or riots, we have always matched local need with the enormous support businesses can and want to offer. The Covid-19 crisis is no different. Through our network, we can provide lifelines to people and communities affected by the pandemic.
‘We know what local communities need as they battle the impact of Covid-19 on their towns and cities and we are calling on businesses who want to offer support to contact us to make sure their support gets to the right place at the right time.’
The organisation is urging all companies who want to offer support to get in touch by e-mailing: businessresponse@bitc.org.uk
You can also find out more here
