Digital Media Centre

ALDI DONATION HELPS SCRUB HUB VOLUNTEERS ACROSS THE UK

Aldi has donated over one thousand bundles of fabric to Scrub Hub organisations across the UK. Scrub Hub is a network of volunteers who are putting their sewing skills to good use to support local NHS and care home workers during the coronavirus outbreak.

Items including scrubs, face coverings and laundry bags are all made to order by experienced and professional volunteers.
To support these efforts, Aldi is donating more than one thousand fat quarter bundles to 14 Scrub Hubs and other community organisations across the UK.
Richard Thornton, Communications Director at Aldi UK, said: “We’ve been touched by the kind-heartedness and community spirit shown by Scrub Hubs across the country, and wanted to make a small gesture of support to thank the members of Scrub Hub for their selfless efforts. We hope this will help give them the tools they need to keep up their fantastic work.”
To help further, Aldi has worked with The Big Community Sew, an initiative encouraging people to make their own face coverings for friends, family and neighbours at home, to offer a handy how-to guide.
Patrick Grant from the Big Community Sew and The Great British Sewing Bee said: “I launched The Big Community Sew with the simple goal of ensuring that everyone has access to the face coverings we need to keep each other safe. The idea is simple; there are millions of sewing machines in homes across the UK, which means there will be one in almost every neighbourhood across the country. We’re asking everyone who has a sewing machine to check on their friends and neighbours, find out who in their community needs a face covering, and make them for them. So far tens of thousands of people have got involved, and hundreds of thousands of face coverings have been made, many going to the most vulnerable in society.”
Marcelle Porteous, from Scrub Hub in South Birmingham, said: “Aldi’s Fat Quarters are popular with our volunteers, so this really is a welcome donation. We’re incredibly grateful to Aldi for their support and generosity, which will enable us to create even more protective face coverings to help keep our community safe.”
Meanwhile, many savvy Aldi shoppers have already been making their own face coverings at home using Aldi fat quarters and have been sharing their crafty creations online 

The 100% cotton fabric Fat Quarter bundles come in a variety of colours and designs – perfect for making a face covering for every member of the family. Shoppers can choose from a wide range that spans Harry Potter Fat Quarters (£9.99) for avid fans of the wizard, to an adorable Winnie the Pooh Fat Quarter Bundle (£9.99), or for those understated individuals there are simple Block Colours Fat Quarters Pack (£3.99).
 
With studies showing that crafting has a multitude of mental health benefits[1], and with the additional advantage of staying safe in the process, there’s never been a better time to get making. To help, Aldi has worked with The Big Community Sew, an initiative that is encouraging people to make their own face coverings for friends, family and neighbours at home, to offer a handy how-to guide. Visit www.aldi.co.uk/fat-quarters to find out more.
-ENDS–
 
 
Notes to editors:
Aldi is Britain’s fifth largest supermarket with 880 stores and more than 34,000 employees.
Aldi is attracting hundreds of thousands of new customers every year with its range of exclusive brands, passing low operating costs on to customers in the form of low prices.
The supermarket believes in making every day amazing and that’s why every single day Aldi delivers on the best possible value for millions of families throughout the UK and Ireland across everything from award-winning fresh produce to world class gin.
Aldi won’t be beaten on price; consistently racks up award after award for quality; treats its suppliers with fairness and respect and recognises the responsibility of supporting valued institutions such as Team GB to demonstrate the importance of health and wellness. That’s Aldi. That’s everyday amazing. The reason they do this? Because Aldi believes that everyone should have access to fresh, healthy, affordable food…it’s a right, not a privilege.
 The company’s current achievements and initiatives include:
•                Aldi is the UK’s lowest priced supermarket. Research released by Which? showed that Aldi is 19% cheaper, on average, than the Big Four supermarkets. It tracked the price of more than a hundred items at the UK’s eight biggest supermarkets throughout March 2020.
•                Aldi has a five-year partnership with Teenage Cancer Trust – its fundraising target of £5m will go towards helping the trust to reach out to every young person with cancer in the UK.
•                Aldi’s rates of pay are significantly higher than the Government’s National Living Wage and also above the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended national rates. Store Assistants receive a minimum hourly rate of £9.40 nationally and £10.90 in London.
•                Aldi is the official supermarket partner of Team GB and ensures every member of the team has access to fresh healthy Aldi food via monthly shopping vouchers, and that 1.2 million 5-14 year olds will learn about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food via its Get Set to Eat Fresh education initiative. Aldi has been a partner since 2015 and has extended its commitment to the 2024 Olympic games in Paris.
•                In June 2019, for the sixth consecutive year, Aldi was ranked the best-performing supermarket for compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice, underlining its commitment to maintaining fair, predictable and sustainable prices within its supply chain.
Full details of Aldi’s awards and achievements are detailed at www.aldi.co.uk/awards