After being ordered to shut by the government, Parkdean Resorts has donated food worth £1,200 to community groups amid the coronavirus lockdown.
Cherry Tree, Vauxhall, California Cliffs, Summerfield and Kessingland holiday parks in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft were getting ready to open for the Easter holidays when social distancing measures were announced.
A spokesperson said: “We had full stocks of fresh items which the teams really didn’t want to go to waste.”
Instead, the food was donated to the Tribal Trust, the Here to Help Campaign, Salvation Army and Lowestoft Food Bank.
They added: “We also had supplies like toilet rolls, antibacterial spray and blue roll, which we’ve given to schools, medical facilites and food banks.
“Social distancing and well-publicised stories of panic buying and stockpiling mean that those who are most in need, including the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions, are at risk of being without important supplies.”
With many in local comumunities relying on foodbanks to survive, the resort operator said that they were “more than happy to do their bit”.
Ben Harvey, from California Cliffs Holiday Park, said: “We’re all proud to be a part of the community and contribute to the local economy, so we wanted to make sure we’re still able to give back when the park is closed.
“We’ve all seen how much demand there has been at food banks, so we were more than happy to support the Tribal Trust, Here to Help Campaign, and the Salvation Army.”
Parkdean Resorts is the UK’s largest holiday park operator, with 67 parks across England, Scotland and Wales.
Though it employs 9,000 people at peak season, the company has already announced that no resort employee will be made redundant as a result of coronavirus.
They have also said that they will be paying 100% of employees’ salaries.
Currently, the company is looking to reopen on 1st May, though admitted this date may have to be reviewed.
Earlier this year, it was announced that six of Parkdean’s holiday parks in Norfolk and Suffolk would receive £3.3 million towards a revamp - which would include new luxury lodges, restaraunts and arcades.
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