During the year, the Group continued to work to benefit the communities in which we operate and to support various allergy‑related initiatives.
Worthing community
Despite the limitations of the pandemic, the Worthing site continued to build relations and support the local community around our largest site. We contributed to the ‘Time for Worthing’ website which promotes the area as a destination for business and leisure. We took part in the Adur Worthing Business Partnership to address challenges for the local business communities and our Group Operations Director is a Board Member for Coastal West Sussex, a partnership which focuses on the needs of local businesses and communities in the West Sussex area.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (“STEM”)
As a healthcare company with a focus on improving allergy treatments through advanced technology, we want to encourage and support the next generation of scientists and healthcare professionals. During the year, the Company continued its support to activities in STEM subjects in the local Sussex community, organising a virtual project for an A-level student to work on a scientific project through a Nuffield Research placement scheme. The Company also sponsored two students from Shoreham Academy to undertake work experience researching vaccines.
Other community projects
In December 2020, inspired by the Marcus Rashford campaign to provide food to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, our sites in Worthing, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands all donated to local food bank charities.
Various other initiatives around the Group included donations to a charity against domestic violence, and the continued support for the ‘Aluminium for Bread’ charity in Germany. The Austrian team provided support to a local children’s hospital and the Swiss team continued to support the Special Olympics.
Allergy‑related initiatives
The Group continued to support ‘Over the Wall’, a charity that creates fun camps for children with serious allergy to enjoy time relaxing in a hypo-allergenic environment.
European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (“EAACI”). EAACI helps drive awareness of the existence of allergy treatments, supports the training of a new generation of allergists and supports initiatives into food allergy and awareness.
Additionally, the Group supports a number of allergy‑related organisations such as the German Association for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (“DGAKI”), the German Foundation for Prevention of Allergies and Respiratory Diseases, the Italian Association of Allergists and Immunologists, and the Austrian Society of the Paediatricians’ allergy education programme.