Embracing generosity during the lockdown
THE current crisis has taught us many lessons. Many business owners have learned just how productive their workforce can be while working from home in unprecedented circumstances.
Home workers have realised just how adaptable they can be and have found effective ways to continue their day-to-day business. Parents have mastered the art of home schooling to the best of their abilities while juggling a multitude of other jobs. Many people have discovered an aptitude for a range of creative tasks, from DIY and gardening to crafting or learning new skills online as they filled those lockdown hours.
But perhaps most heartwarming of all is the fact the pandemic brought out or strengthened a wonderful quality – generosity. You might expect a crisis to prompt an “every man for themselves” attitude but, on the contrary, it has inspired the most beautiful examples of kindness and giving. Captain Tom Moore – now Sir Tom thanks to his incredible efforts – raised £33 million for the NHS doing laps of his garden.
And he also proved to be a tremendous source of inspiration for others including 90-year-old Scottish gran Margaret Payne who climbed the height of Suilven on her staircase, raising £347,000 for the NHS.
Communities across Scotland have seen an outpouring of support, from neighbours helping one another to amazing community outreach projects springing up to assist the most vulnerable.
And businesses across the country have done us proud by doing their bit – despite the fact they’ve been far from immune from the economic effects of the pandemic. Whisky companies such as Loch Lomond Distillery pivoted quickly to manufacturing hand sanitisers, other manufacturers quickly turned their hands to creating ventilators and face masks, and colleges such as Glasgow Clyde used 3D printers to make visors for home care workers short on PPE.
Some sectors have been hit harder than others, yet this hasn’t dampened this spirit of giving at such a crucial time. This includes the hospitality sector which has faced immense challenges, closing the doors of hotels, restaurants and bars.
We’ve seen hotels provide free NHS accommodation and restaurants turning themselves into soup kitchens for those in need at a time when they themselves were impacted by the crisis. One such example is Scottish firm Buzzworks Holdings, which manages twelve prestigious venues. To date it has served more than 40,000 meals to residents across Ayrshire after its chefs and front-of-house staff joined forces with Ayrshire charity Centrestage to feed the vulnerable.
The company stepped up to help after learning Centrestage’s kitchens had limited capacity so it put its own staff and kitchens to good use, and provided storage and refrigeration facilities, to play its part in helping those facing hardship on its doorstep. And it didn’t stop there. People across the business put their best foot forward and collectively walked, ran and cycled the distance between all their venues (the equivalent of 16 marathons) to raise cash for Hospitality Action.
The company has just this week started opening the doors of a number of its venues thanks to the lifting of restrictions and I hope those staff who are returning to work have a real sense of pride in all they have achieved for the community in the meantime. I take my hat off to each and every one of these companies and others that have made a valuable contribution during these difficult times and wish them every success as they continue to navigate these unprecedented challenges.
We Scots are so often stereotyped as being canny or tight-fisted, but I beg to differ as we reflect on the wonderful examples of kindness and generosity that we’ve seen in recent months from individuals and businesses alike.