Josh Parker, MD, Wingrove Motor Company
A Christian businessman who offered his motor parts warehouse to the NHS for the production of PPE, after himself contracting COVID-19, has confirmed that over two million gowns have since been manufactured and delivered to hospitals across the North East.
Josh Parker, the 24-year-old Managing Director of the Wingrove Motor Company, discovered he had tested positive to coronavirus early in the pandemic and after making a full recovery, he felt a strong sense that God was going to use the company to help aid in the national response.
Josh says, “Having experienced coronavirus personally, I know the impact it can have on any individual. I was fortunate to make a quick recovery, but almost immediately I knew that the business was to play some role in helping what has been a monumental effort from the NHS to respond to the pandemic. The same day God had given me this word, I received a call from the NHS and within days we cleared the parts warehouse. Within three weeks they had made their first gown.”
Wingrove Motor Company is a family business and this year is celebrating its 95th year in operation. Throughout that time, the business has showed a strong commitment to investing in the community and the areas in which they operate.
Parker, who only finished his university education in 2017 and has since managed the company, added “The 30-40 machinists who have been working throughout the past few months have been a genuine inspiration. They have worked tirelessly and the end result is truly remarkable. To produce two million gowns is not just an impressive number, it will protect and support a huge number of those medical professionals serving on the front line.”
Wingrove Motor Company is the second longest-running Citrôen dealer in the UK, with Peugeot and DS franchises in the Newcastle area, and currently operates in five locations in the North East of England employing over 85 staff members.
Over two million gowns have been produced at Wingrove
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