In these uncertain and unprecedented times, it’s difficult to predict what the future will look like. Despite this uncertainty, Surfachem, and the 2M Group, are supporting our communities by using our expertise to help save lives - #sciencesaveslives.

As a speciality chemical distributor, at Surfachem we have seen a huge spike in demand as a consequence of the unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic.

Surfachem’s core markets; Personal Care, Home Care, Institutional Care and Pharmaceuticals have all been heavily impacted. Not only as a knock-on effect of us trying to fight the outbreak, but also as a result of frantic panic buying. Disinfectants and sanitisation products such as hand gels and surface cleansers, have proved essential at this time.

Hand gel

With access to up-stream supply chain, we have taken the initiative to use our in-house expertise to make our own alcohol hand gel. To make this possible, we used our technical laboratory in Huddersfield and MP Storage and Blending, our blending facility in Middlesborough.

Over the last few weeks, despite stress and uncertainty, our team have done an amazing job. Our aim is to manufacture and fill over 20,000 bottles of hand gel for donation.

In producing this gel, we have been able to protect our internal team, and provide invaluable donations to those that need it the most. Here’s a handful of the institutions that we’ve helped so far, recommended by our team across the 2M Group.

So far we have helped…

A&E nurses who are working in Coronavirus wards - University Hospital of Derby and Burton NHS Trust, Samuel Johnson Community Hospital, Warrington & Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Countess of Chester Hospital
Pharmacies - Poppleton Pharmacy
The many amazing childrens’ social workers - Manchester Children's Services
Teachers who are still working to look after the children of key workers - Elsecar Holy Trinity Primary School, Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School
Care homes and facilities which provide end of life care - Kirkwood Hospice, Astley Grange Nursing Home
Foodbanks, giving emergency food and support - Jubilee Food Bank MH, Macro Based Diner

Development and Production

Prior to the outbreak, we are fortunate to have already developed, and stability tested a simple, but effective alcohol hand gel. However, since then, producing the sheer quantity in such a short time frame has been a complete team effort. All of our teams from across the group have supported this initiative – from ingredient sourcing, to technical compliance and logistic teams.

A huge thank you to all of the Surfachem team for working together to make this possible.

Our donations

A huge thank you from…

April 2020

"Nields primary school is sending a big thank you for the donations that have been sent to us and delivered today, they will come to good use, especially with the circumstances we are all in at the moment." (Nields Primary School)

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of all the Domiciliary and Support Workers out in the community for you thoughtful and much needed donation of hand gel. This is a trying time for all our key workers on the front line who are doing a great job." (Synergy Home Care)

"Thank you for your help with the Surfachem Hand Gel—you’re our hero! The time you put into booking the request and sending out 36 bottles to Halifax Royal Mail Delivery Office, not to mention the speedy response, took a huge strain off our staff in these worrying times. If you hadn’t jumped in to save the day, we might have ended up canceling delivery routes and missing the chance to connect with all our customers daily." (Halifax Royal Mail Office)

"Thank you so much , you are truly a superhero in our eyes! I have let the hospices know and they have all asked me to pass on their immense gratitude." (Hope House)

"May I take this opportunity to thank Surfachem and indeed 2M as a whole for this donation. It is very much appreciated!" (Elsecar Holy Trinity Primary)

"The nurses commented on how the gel was good at not making their hands sore. Must be a clever formulation…" (University Hospital of Derby University Hospital of Derby)

"The donated hand cleaner has started reaching the frontline nurses today at Samuel Johnson Hospital Lichfield - many thanks" (Samuel Johnson Hospital Lichfield)

"We received your hand gel yesterday morning. It was such a quick response…thank you. We are thrilled to bits with your donation and very eager to put it to use." (South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)

"I just wanted to tell you that we received our hand gels, thank you so much! They are lovely and all the staff love them." (Livability House, Osset)

"Just wanted to say a big thank you for the recent supply of hand gel. This has been very much appreciated by myself and my colleagues. Our thanks is not only for the gel but for its speedy arrival." (Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust)

"Many thanks for your donation of alcohol gel to our GP surgery. It was gratefully received. As I am sure you have heard from many places- the supply chain via the emergency PPe and through our usual suppliers have been poor during this crisis. This delivery donated by yourselves has meant that we are able to continue to see the patients still needing care for other illnesses during this time and has made our non-clinical staff feel at ease for having access to the gel at the desk." (Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust)

On behalf of the Practice Team at Ordsall Health Surgery I would like to thank you for the generosity and thoughtfulness that you have shown in providing a large supply of alcohol based hand sanitiser, that has been recently received, for the use of the personnel at the Practice. (Ordsall Health Surgery)

"Thank you to all your Team for the donation of hand gel. It means so much to us. Please thank everyone for thinking of us." (Forget me not - Children's Hospice)

"Many Thanks for your donation of Alcohol Hand Gel, it is very much appreciated and will be very useful in the field!" (R.Wilson & Sons Church Farm)

District Clinical Support Workers for Mid Yorkshire Trust.