Fuelling the frontline.
An Irish and UK nutrition brand, used to catering for elite athletes such as 19-time Grand Slam-winning tennis player Rafa Nadal, is now shipping its product to the main COVID-19 emergency field hospital in Madrid.
The Ifema Convention Centre in the Spanish capital has been re-purposed as a temporary hospital during the ongoing Covid-19. Almost 15,000 people have died in Spain from the illness. and the Ifema Centre was earlier this month described by El Pais as a “disaster” zone.
Totum Sport – which is owned by Galway and Sunderland-based Cellnutrition Sport – was contacted on behalf of the 5,000 bed field hospital to send product to seriously dehydrated doctors and nurses. The hydration solution is normally used by athletes in the Premier League, GAA and Rugby. In Ireland the supplement is used by Galway and Tipperary Hurlers, Galway and Mayo Footballers and a host of leading intercounty sides, as well as three-in-a-row All Ireland Club champions Corofin.
The company took the decision last week to donate its entire stock of electrolyte supplements to help frontline medical staff , originally in Ireland and the UK, prepare for physically and mentally arduous conditions as they go about long shift work battling the pandemic.
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John Kelleher, CEO of Cellnutrition Sport told
SportsJOE that it was a “no-brainer” to get product to those in desperate need of physical and mental support - “the greatest heroes we have known”.
“We normally get our products out to the strongest, fittest and fastest athletes on the planet – so it make sense to support those who need every ounce of energy and support in these oppressive conditions. I have been completely blown away by the requests from hospitals, care homes, first responder services and emergency centres since we went out with our offer. Business and brand no longer matter in these times where human life and the saving of lives is now the most important issue for mankind, so we’re just proud to help these incredible people in some small way.”
Kelleher, who is from Galway and now lives in the UK, wouldn’t be drawn on a financial cost that the company is donating, but it is believed to be a seven-figure number. The company, along with its Spanish partner Quinton Laboratories, are already providing the service to Spanish Police and Fire Brigade in Alicante, and will ship product to Madrid to help support the Ifema field hospital in the coming days.
It already has donated their product to the Emergency centre at CityWest and is speaking with the NHS to get Totum Sport to the Nightingale Hospital, set up at the Excel Centre in London. A huge number of hospitals and nursing homes in Ireland have availed of the offer including The Mater, Tallaght, Beaumont, Portlaoise, Tullamore and Naas, with many more expecting delivery in the coming days.
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