Salvation Army thanks Suffolk business for wildfire support

The Salvation Army has thanked a business whose staff rallied together to support firefighters and other emergency personnel tackling the Dunwich wildfire.

Spectra Packaging donated cakes, water, soft drinks, fruit, sweets and cookies to The Salvation Army’s Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV), which provided refreshments to those working long hours as part of the response.

Company staff also raised £150 through a Hot Dog Day, organised by Managing Director Joe Maynard, to support firefighters tackling the blaze.

Debbie Charles, who coordinated The Salvation Army’s ERV at Dunwich, said donations from businesses such as Spectra made a real difference to the team’s ability to keep providing refreshments throughout the response.

She said: “We are incredibly grateful to Alex and everyone at Spectra for getting behind us. When you are supporting large numbers of people over long shifts, donations like these make such a difference and meant we could keep making sure there was food and drink available for those working at the scene.

“What was particularly lovely was knowing that people in the local community were thinking about those tackling the fire and wanted to do something practical to help. Every cake, bottle of water or can of drink was another way of showing the firefighters and everyone else involved that their efforts were appreciated.

“A huge thank you to everyone at Spectra for their generosity and for helping us support the people working so hard at Dunwich.”

The idea to help came from Spectra employee Alex Anderson, who is also a Community First Responder volunteer with the ambulance service.

Alex said: “I was hearing about the fire through staff at Spectra who are on call fire fighters who were there and I wanted to see if there was something we could do.

“I went to our social committee with the idea and asked if it would be OK for us to help. Everyone was really supportive and wanted to get behind it.”

Colleagues responded by donating refreshments, which were taken to The Salvation Army team and distributed to those involved in the emergency response.

For Alex, the motivation was simply to show those working in difficult conditions that people were grateful for what they were doing.

He said: “People brought in refreshments and it was a nice way of saying thank you and showing that what they were doing was appreciated.

“Being involved with the ambulance service, I know that when people are working long hours, something as simple as having food and a drink there for them can mean a lot.

“It was great to see everyone at Spectra get behind it and do something to help.”

The Salvation Army provides practical and emotional support to members of the emergency services at major incidents serving food, drinks and offering pastoral support from its Emergency Response Vehicles.