A FAMILY owned protective and safety wear business in Bewsey is being praised by organisations and charities across Warrington for supplying essential equipment during the pandemic.

J & K Ross Ltd has helped Warrington Hospital, Warrington Disability Partnership and Knox & Son Funerals get staff back to work safely by ensuring prompt supplies and donations.

At the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, like most hospitals across the country, PPE was in short supply at Warrington Hospital.

Doctor Ahmed Farag, cardiology clinical lead, was determined to supply his frontline staff with safety equipment and went on the hunt for suppliers in Warrington.

He said: “JK Ross have been an incredible help at a very difficult time.

“At the peak of the pandemic, there was a real shortage of protective equipment for frontline staff.

“I went out of the hospital looking for supplies, trying various DIY shops in the area but no one had what we needed.

“I came across JK Ross and Chris let me take samples of more than £1,000 back to the hospital to run past infection control.

“His expertise has been immensely helpful at such a crucial time. Any questions we or issues we had about the equipment, Chris was always on hand and eager to help.

“Everyone at the hospital is appreciative of his help and it meant we could get staff back working on the frontline safely.”

Established in 1976 by Jean and Ken Ross, the business is still going strong, headed up by their son, Chris Ross and managing director Neil Wilcock.

Traditionally a B2B supplier, they stock more than £ 1.75 million of PPE in their warehouse to ensure prompt supplies.

Chris said: “The current crisis has presented us with some severe supply shortages, where products are in high demand for healthcare applications, including disposable gloves and suits, FFP3 respirators, hand sanitiser, goggles and face screens.

“Our team has worked tirelessly to address this problem, which has not been easy with the large influx of fake and counterfeit products to the UK market.”

The company, with the help of JSP Safety, was also able to help staff at Knox and Son Funeral Directors in Padgate.

Chris added: “The team has always been pivotal to our success and this has never been more evident than during this pandemic. I would like to thank every one of them for their contribution to the success of our business.”

In addition to these commercial sales, Chris and Neil wanted to help struggling charities with equipment and donations.

Warrington Disability Partnership have sadly had their fundraising contributions decimated during lockdown but with J&K Ross’s help, they are hoping to reopen their services shortly.

Dave Thompson, chief executive of WDP, said: “I got a phone call from Chris who said he wanted to offer his support and he has donated £2,000 worth of screens, signage and hand sanitiser which means we can start to reopen our services.

“It has enabled us to make the centres safe for staff and customers.”

Chris and Neil have also made a £2,000 donation to St Rocco’s Hospice.