Rio is a soft drink which is owned and nurtured by Hall & Woodhouse, and made with 10% fruit juice and sparkling water, with a unique tropical taste.
Dorset NHS Staff and Key Workers
H&W donated more than 5,500 bottles of Rio Tropical Light soft drink to NHS staff, other key workers across Dorset, and Poole Community Exchange’s Foodbank.
Anthony Woodhouse, Chairman of Hall & Woodhouse, explained: “With our pubs being temporarily closed, we wanted to use this time to give back to our local communities and acknowledge the amazing work that NHS staff and other key workers are carrying out across the county.”
“During this difficult time, our team members have nominated charities and causes close to their hearts, that they believe deserve a donation of Rio soft drink. We are committed to living and breathing our company’s purpose of making people’s day and serving our communities even in these unprecedented times.”
Donations were made to the NHS frontline staff at Poole Hospital, Dorset County Hospital and Alderney Hospital in Poole. The key workers at Dorset County Council’s Charminster Depot also received a Rio Tropical donation.
UK Harvest Charity, Sussex
H&W donated more than 1,300 bottles of Rio Tropical Light soft drink to UK Harvest food rescue and education charity that operates throughout Sussex.
UK Harvest collects quality surplus food from a variety of retailers and directly delivers it to charities that provide assistance to people and families across the UK. In response to the current times, the charity is asking for donations to be made to create food parcels containing essential food and drink items for vulnerable members of the community.
Exeter COVID-19 Test Centre
H&W donated 900 bottles of Rio Tropical Light soft drink to the volunteers at the Exeter drive-through coronavirus test centre.
Whilst pubs were temporarily closed, Daniel Thompson, General Manager of the Lighter Inn managed house, was volunteering at the test centre, along with five other team members from the pub.
The Exeter testing facility first opened in April for NHS staff and other key workers.
St Mungo's Crisis Projects
H&W donated over 1,000 bottles of Rio Tropical Light soft drink and 580 packets of Pipers crisps to the homeless charity St Mungo’s.
St Mungo’s have been supporting around 1,600 people who were rough sleeping or in night shelters in hotels across the south of England, including London, Bristol, Brighton, Bournemouth and Oxford. They have provided these vulnerable people with emergency accommodation, healthcare and food, as well as supporting them with their next steps after the crisis including permanent accommodation, health and employment.
When the Rio bottles and crisps were delivered, Hannah Oates, Assessment and Reconnection Worker at St Mungo’s, explained: “It’s so important to have food and drink delivered to the hotel. It helps our residents remain healthy and prevents them from having to leave the site for shopping trips. Treats are especially welcome as they keep everyone’s spirits up in anxious times.”
Anthony Woodhouse, Chairman of Hall & Woodhouse, said about the donation: “With our pubs being temporarily closed, we wanted to support a charity that has multiple support networks across the south, to ensure our donation reaches as many vulnerable people as possible. St. Mungo’s is the largest provider of homelessness services in the country and we are pleased to hear of the positive impact it has made so far.”
Firefighters at Wareham Forest Blaze
H&W donated 1,500 bottles of Rio Tropical Light soft drink and 400 packets of Pipers crisps to Wareham Fire Station for firefighters who tackled the fire at Wareham Forest.
The donation was shared with other local fire stations who came together to control the fire that started on the 18th May.
Anthony Woodhouse, Chairman of Hall & Woodhouse, said at the time: “The devastating fire at Wareham Forest this past week has been harrowing to witness. At this difficult time where key workers are working relentlessly to support us through the current health crisis, the firefighters at Wareham Forest have shown immense bravery and strength.”
“With our pubs being temporarily closed, we wanted to do what we could to support our firefighters and thank the crew on the ground at the scene of the fire.”