The Covid-19 crisis has been very tough for everyone. We’ve all had to adapt our ways of living and working so drastically and quickly! Here at The Tipsy Pigs, we’ve definitely had to make a few changes. Weddings and events aren’t allowed to go ahead, and restaurants have been forced to close. So, we’ve been left without our usual jobs to do. One of the hardest-hit groups in the country is certainly our amazing NHS staff. They are working tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep us safe and looked after. We thought that they deserved a little token of our appreciation. So, we are so pleased to team up with Surrey Drive! And, we’ve even featured in the local press because of it, with this article from Woking News and Mail.

Earlier this year, we joined Surrey Event Professionals, a local networking group tailored specifically to those in the events industry. So, when the amazing SEP team decided to set up Surrey Drive after hearing about NHS staff unable to get food after long shifts, we were very keen to get involved.

What Is Surrey Drive?

The group was set up with one aim. This was to provide delicious, nutritious hot meals to NHS staff working at the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford. As mentioned in the Woking News and Mail, the caterers involved were asked to provide meals at cost. This is then covered by crowdfunding donations. Other members of the group who aren’t caterers have also provided their skills, such as social media coverage from Delivered Social.

The Surrey Drive initiative has snowballed, raising thousands of pounds from the generous public and providing over 4000 meals a week to NHS staff at various sites in the local area. Personally, we’ve been working from the kitchen of Guildford Cathedral, creating around 1000 meals a week. And, it’s no longer just hot meals! Other small local businesses have stepped in to provide treats like delicious biscuits and cakes, and beautiful flowers for the hardworking staff too.

We’re so proud to have been a part of this amazing initiative. And, it’s great to have been featured in the press in our hometown of Woking. While the pandemic has been difficult for our business, having to furlough staff and not being able to operate as normal,  being able to turn our efforts to helping our NHS staff has been very rewarding. We hope to be able to open back up again soon. But, in the meantime, we hope that the Surrey Drive initiative is helping to make NHS staff’s days a little bit better.

Find out more about Surrey Drive on their website here.

To learn more about The Tipsy Pigs and what we do, click here.