25/10/2018

Samworth Brothers Charity Challenge returns for 2019

Teams sign up to the big fundraiser

The 2019 Samworth Brothers Charity Challenge will take place on June 1st and June 8th 2019.

The triathlon style event, which happens every two years, has raised more than £1.9 million for charity over the past decade.  At the 2017 event in the Lake District more than 100 teams of four from Samworth Brothers businesses, customers and suppliers participated raising a total of £385,000 for good causes.

More than 75 charities benefited from the 2017 event including  national charities such as Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK, Epilepsy Society, Help for Heroes, Macmillan Cancer Support and Muscular Dystrophy UK, plus local charities, close to Samworth Brothers businesses, including Children’s Hospice South West, Merlin MS Centre (Cornwall), Cornwall Air Ambulance, Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance, Wishes4Kids (Leicestershire), LOROS Hospice (Leicestershire) and Chicks, (Country Holidays for Inner City Kids, South West).

The exact location of the 2019 Charity Challenge will be announced closer to the event.  However, it will be in the South West of England.  Previous Charity Challenges have taken place in the Lake District, South West, Wales and Scotland.

Keep up to date with Charity Challenge news at www.facebook.com/SBCC2019 or our Twitter feed @SBCC2019.

01/04/2020

Government Thank You To Key Food Workers

07/05/2020

Supporting our communities during Covid-19

From Soreen malt loaf and Ginsters pasties going to hospitals and charities supporting those in need, plus delivering in our Leicestershire heartland to the NHS and local community organisations – Samworth Brothers businesses and colleagues are supporting their communities in many ways during this crisis.

In Leicestershire we have been working in close collaboration with food surplus charity FareShare and our food redistributor partner The Company Shop. Teams in Leicestershire have helped deliver emergency food hampers to vulnerable families plus supported local community organisations in other ways including food drops to Leicestershire hospitals and other key worker locations, such as Leicester Prison and local fire and ambulance stations.  We helped the Mowbray Education Trust in Melton Mowbray deliver important food supplies and co-ordinated a food hamper drop with Blaby Council.

Drivers from our Coldcall and Samworth Brothers Supply Chain business have played a vital role in the effort undertaking dozens of deliveries.  The teams also co-ordinated a massive 16,000 Easter egg donation to Leicester hospitals and other key workers.

Our brands have also been out and about doing their bit. In the South West the Ginsters team are supporting over 33 charities and have donated over 21k pasties and slices to date, both helping to feed frontline teams and charities that support those most in need during the lockdown. These include Devon and Cornwall Food for Action, which is being provided with regular product deliveries, plus the Trussell Trust, Derriford Hospital and the Salvation Army in Devon and Cornwall as well as other South West charities.  On a more national level Ginsters regional offices are also supporting charities such as Haig Housing in Warrington, which provides housing assistance to ex-Service people, and Miranda House in Humberside, which supports patients with mental health conditions, plus good causes in other regions. The Ginsters team has also loaned fridges to the Cornwall Food4Heroes project, four NHS sites and a local Cornwall food bank, so they can store and distribute chilled products

This week Soreen launched an initiative with Checkout Smart so NHS workers and other key workers can redeem thousands of Soreen snacks for free. Other Soreen donations have been to Hotel Football, open to key workers at Old Trafford, and hospitals such as Salford Royal, Nightingale London and Cheltenham and charities such as “The Bread and Butter Thing’ in Manchester

Elsewhere we have supplied surplus raw materials to Compassion London, a group of chefs and volunteers making healthy and nutritious meals for NHS, support workers and vulnerable people.

Support has been given in other ways. A development chef at one of our Leicester sites hosted a Zoom cookery teach-in for youngsters supported by our long-term partner, Leicestershire Cares.

Samworth Brothers Head of Responsible Business said “Over our long history Samworth Brothers has always taken pride in being a responsible business that makes a positive contribution to society.  In usual times our businesses are active in supporting our local and wider communities, so in many cases we are working with existing and long-standing partners, as well as new partners, to help make things happen.”

 

16/02/2021

Helping our communities through the pandemic

From lunch bags for healthcare staff at vaccination centres to helping schools with computers, Samworth Brothers businesses and brands are continuing to help local communities during the pandemic.

Samworth Brothers is supporting the vaccination effort by providing complimentary lunch bags to nurses and other staff at vaccination centres across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.  Locations benefiting include Charnwood, Rutland, Melton, Measham, ‘The Kube’(Leicester) and Peepul Centre (Leicester).  Our Bradgate Bakery Ashton Green site and Coldcall van delivery teams are assembling and distributing the bags on a daily basis.

Coldcall Operations Head Paula Shaw said “The team is delighted to be supporting the vaccine effort.  We have had excellent feedback from the vaccination centres.”Helen Rose, Managing Director of the Charnwood GP Network said staff wanted to give “A massive thank you for the food and drink you are bringing in.  It is truly appreciated.”

Some of the other recent ways we have been helping across our communities include;

• Walkers Deli & Sausage in Leicester has been supporting What Cabin, a well-established children’s play project in the St Matthews area. A team in the business mobilised colleagues, suppliers and contractors to raise an amazing £16,000 for the project. Part of the donation was dedicated to over 100 Christmas gifts for local children, while the rest of the funds have been pledged to support What Cabin in 2021.
• Samworth Brothers IT team arranged a donation of 133 laptops to Leicestershire schools through the Business2 Schools scheme. Samworth Brothers Manton Wood has also donated 26 laptops to BCVS Bassetlaw to help with the home-schooling effort in Nottinghamshire.
• Melton Foods, Walkers Deli & Sausage, and Samworth Brothers Supply Chain, in partnership with Company Shop, have been supporting the Mowbray Education Trust in Melton Mowbray with food donations for the Trust’s work with disadvantaged families.
• Soreen has continued to support Manchester’s Cash for Kids – Mission Christmas project for the third year running with food and cash donations and support with marketing activity. Soreen has supported other community projects including delicious Soreen donations for the North Care Charity providing hampers to NHS staff working in hospitals across Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Salford, the ‘Bread & Butter Thing, a Manchester based charity working to make life more affordable for people on a low income, plus Great Ormond Street and Fareshare.
• Ginsters are also proudly supporting FareShare South West including the donation of two refrigerated vehicles, in addition to regular surplus food donations in partnership with The Cornwall Bakery.

08/03/2021

Colleagues learn new skills

This week is National Butchers Week and over the past year our Walkers Deli & Sausage business has been working hard to help colleagues develop new skills in this area.   A new butchery school set up by the business recruited its first seven trainees in July 2020 to undergo a comprehensive six-month butchery training programme. A second cohort started the course in October 2020.

There is a well-reported national shortage of trained butchers. The programme takes recruits on a journey from farm to fork, with colleagues following the whole value stream through curing, slicing and packing so they understand every step of the process.  Cohort 1 have now completed the butchery school programme and are fully fledged trainee butchers.  Walkers Deli & Sausage are now recruiting for a third cohort.

Feedback from the trainees has been very positive and the business is also just about to launch a Level 2 Butchery Apprenticeship.

“I joined because I love seeing where food comes from and am interested in the food industry. I also love that you can learn from all the other butchers, asking questions and the continuous learning and well as understanding the wider perspective.”  Tim, butchery school trainee

I am thoroughly enjoying my new role and it has boosted my confidence enormously. I now feel I am part of a team that is contributing to a larger purpose. I am a key worker and feel proud that I am helping feed the nation. The company has encouraged me and is supporting me through my training and offering me lots of encouragement for personal and professional development. I like the people I work with and there are good opportunities to develop.” Ethan, butchery school trainee

Want to be part of the team?

We’re recruiting for butchers at www.www.samworthbrothers.co.uk

#NationalButchersWeek

 

 

22/04/2021

16,000 lunch bags for vaccination effort

Samworth Brothers is supporting Leicestershire’s vaccination efforts with complimentary lunch bags being delivered for health care staff and volunteers working at eight vaccination centres across the county.

Since the deliveries started 15 weeks ago, more than 16,000 lunch bags have been provided in over 700 delivery ‘drops’ to vaccination centres in Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Leicester (The Kube, Peepul Centre and Prajapati Hall), Charnwood, Measham and Hinckley.  The effort is being masterminded by Samworth Brothers’ Coldcall delivery team.  Coldcall Operations Head Paula Shaw said: “The team is delighted to be supporting the vaccination effort with this service.  We have had fantastic feedback from the centres.  The lunch bags provide staff and volunteers with a convenient lunchtime option, which they find very helpful. We are delighted to help out. We’ll be continuing the service for a while yet as vaccinations continue.”

The lunch bags include sandwiches, a bottle of water or soft drink, a healthy snack bar and crisps.

Heather Hoskins, Regional Site Manager for the vaccine centres, said: “We are overwhelmed by the support that Samworth Brothers has provided to the vaccination programme in our centres. They really do feed the entire workforce; vaccinators, administrators, doctors, site managers and volunteers. As the old saying goes, an army marches on their stomachs! Our ‘vaccination army’ are doing a fantastic job, vaccinating thousands of people a day and this support makes a big difference to them. From the great choice to the friendly delivery drivers – everything is very much appreciated. Thank you.”

Picture are the Coldcall delivery team with staff at the Charnwood vaccination centre in Loughborough.

01/06/2021

Leicester legends – plus Filbert – get on the packing line

Leicester City legends Matt Elliott and Steve Walsh, alongside Leicester City mascot Filbert Fox, joined the Samworth Brothers team to help assemble food boxes that are set to feed 14,000 local Leicester children this half-term.

The iconic Foxes duo visited the Samworth Brothers Supply Chain Oak Meadow site in Scudamore Road in Leicester last week to assist with the packing, which will see over 420,000 food items be sent out to create approximately 70,000 meals across the school holidays.

The simple-to-make meals are being supplied via an initiative funded by Leicester City and Leicester City Council.

“We’ve been doing plenty today!” Matt Elliott told LCFC TV. “We’ve had a run-down on exactly how the inner workings of this project are being put into place. Myself, Walshy and Filbert then got involved in actually packing the parcels themselves.”

Cllr Sarah Russell said “We’ve got a brilliant initiative going on across half-term to try and get meal packs and activities out to children who are eligible for free school meals right across the city. It’s a brilliant partnership between Leicester City Council, the Football Club and Samworth Brothers, who have all been really supportive.”

 

28/06/2022

Food donations make their way to Ukraine

More than £10,000 worth of food donations from Loughborough College and Samworth Brothers is on its way to Kyiv to help feed families in war-torn Ukraine.

Loughborough College ran a three-day food drive , with big-hearted donors filling 10 pallets with food and other items, weighing nearly two tonnes, while Samworth Brothers is ensuring the supplies get to Ukraine via its own HGV fleet and its international partners.

The College and Samworth Brothers joined forces with Ukrainian citizen Snizhana Yesaulenko, a Director of the Gresham Aparthotel in Leicester, who has been campaigning to send food to stock field kitchens in her home country.

Snizhana has friends and family still in Ukraine. So far, she has raised over £20,000 to support the establishment of field kitchens in Kyiv.

Snizhana Yesaulenko, Director of The Gresham Aparthotel, said: “I am so proud of everyone for contributing and getting involved including the amazing team at Loughborough College and Samworth Brothers and all their suppliers too.  I know how much this means to people in Ukraine, so I would like to thank anyone who has contributed or been involved in any way.”

Adam King, Community Director at Samworth Brothers, said: “Not only are we delivering essential food to people but we’re saying loudly and clearly that we care. We are working with a range of organisations in Leicestershire and beyond to help facilitate deliveries to Ukraine.  We want to do everything we can to support the people of Ukraine.”

30/09/2024

Get a load of this!

A new ‘Surplus to Purpose’ initiative at Samworth Brothers aims to divert as much surplus food as possible to feed people, rather than being used as animal feed or even going to waste. A pilot project at our Saladworks bakery has delivered very positive results.

In the first quarter of the year, Saladworks have redistributed more food than in the whole of 2023. Food from the production process that is not suitable as a finished product is provided to food redistribution organisations Company Shop and FareShare, and on to charities or community kitchens and cafés.

‘Surplus to Purpose’ Project Manager Rafal Brzezinski is now also working with Melton Foods, one of our Food to Go bakeries, with the creation of the ‘Crustworthy’ loaf, pictured above. This is made entirely of loaf crusts that are not used in production. The loaves are packaged and made available for free in the Company Shop.

14/02/2025

Celebrating our 270 apprentices

As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week (10th – 16th February 2025). We’re delighted that at Samworth Brothers we have many fantastic apprentice stories to tell.

We currently have 270 apprentices on programme in an amazing variety of apprenticeship roles – from engineering and supply chain, to finance and HR, procurement and packaging, operations management to the craft training of butchers, to warehouse management, HGV driving and vehicle maintenance.

There are apprentices in every part of our organisation and at all stages of their Samworth Brothers career journey – from colleagues who have recently joined from education to those with years of experience in the business who want to develop their skills.

Meet Gedrick – apprentice engineer

Gedrick is working towards a Level 3 Diploma in Food and Drink Maintenance Engineering – working on the job and going to college three times a year on block release for six weeks.  

“I would advise anyone thinking of becoming an apprentice to go for it, it is such a great experience and opportunity. You get the chance to learn both the theory and practical side of the apprenticeship you choose to do which is great as you are getting the knowledge and hands on experience while learning.

“I have always had an interest in engineering. Fixing things and how things work in general so becoming an Engineer especially a multiskilled maintenance engineer just made sense.

“My site is very supportive of my apprenticeship especially the engineering department from the managers to the engineers, they always make sure we get the help we need and have the right equipment and anything else that we need for our apprenticeship.”

Meet Julia – gaining hands-on experience

Julia is working towards an Institute of Leadership & Management Level 6 graduating in November 2026.

“As a part of my apprenticeship, I attend university of Sheffield Hallam University for four days every other month.

“I think the apprenticeship will help me decide what path I want to go down career wise. It will also help with aiming for a more senior role once I have completed the course as I will have hands-on experience with industry-specific processes, leadership, industry technical systems, and continuous improvement initiatives.  

“If you are debating becoming an apprentice, I say do it! It’s truly an amazing experience and worth a ton. You gain experience you may not be able to obtain by just being at university and it gives you a step up in the career ladder.

Meet River – apprentice food technologist

Before joining Samworth Brothers, River was a student at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford and is now working towards a BSc Professional Practice in Food Technology

“I’m currently working in group technical as a group food technologist; my role focuses on areas of compliance, food safety, quality & food integrity. This includes liaising with sites across Samworth to initiate projects, create a working team & gather their feedback on existing systems to take forward and make recommendations.

“My biggest piece of advice to someone who is thinking about becoming an Apprentice is to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way.

“I attend university blocks every 6-8 weeks for three or four days at a time. Navigating the food industry, university & apprenticeship whilst living with a visual impairment comes with its challenges, but the support I’ve received from both Samworth Brothers & Sheffield Hallam University has allowed me to partake in all aspects, with the occasional adaption to allow me to access the content easier.”

If you’re interested in an apprenticeship, look at our Early Careers vacancies here: https://bit.ly/3V9iwHS