AN army of volunteers who have helped to feed NHS workers during the coronavirus pandemic have reached their mammoth goal of delivering one million meals.

More than 1,000 helpers from Bicester and beyond, including Army veterans, have been packaging meals at a hangar at Bicester Motion motoring attraction to send to hospitals across the country, as part of the Salute the NHS campaign.

Launched three months ago, with the first delivery to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on April 6, the campaign – co-founded by Ron Dennis CBE, founder of F1 McLaren – has now supplied 49 hospitals during lockdown.

The million meal packs have included seven million food products supplied by Tesco and several other big brands.

Also read: Army of Bicester helpers take part in SalutetheNHS.org campaign

Their preparation into nutritious meal packs was overseen by hospitality and catering business, Absolute Taste, and the deliveries were all provided by Yodel.

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Bicester resident Michał Przykucki, 35, joined the campaign making meal packs back in mid-April and says he had enjoyed working with others from the town.

He said: "For the first month I volunteered two or three times a week. There were so many people willing to help that we had to limit people's numbers of shifts.

"In May I moved to a new job which meant I could no longer come to Hangar 113 on weekdays, but I devoted my Sunday afternoons to supporting the project.

"Week after week I watched the total number of meals we had packed grow, and finally on Monday, July 6, we reached our unbelievable target of one million meals delivered to the NHS frontline. I managed to get a cheeky half-day off from work to be there, I just could not miss it.

"It was a fantastic and a very emotional day to celebrate the result of three wonderful months of hard work."

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In May, the campaign partnered with Unilever UK & Ireland providing workers with packages of personal care products too such as Radox, Dove, Simple and Vaseline. Packaging company DS Smith donated 75,000 recyclable white boxes.

Ms Przykucki added: "Joining Salute the NHS was a marvellous experience and easily one of those I am most proud of in my life. I have met so many great people there. I think that being a part of Ron Dennis' initiative gave all of us a feeling of purpose and something to look forward to at a time when things were generally looking pretty grim.

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"It is quite clear that, while helping the NHS heroes, we have also helped ourselves. This was the most incredible adventure and I am grateful to the creators of the project and to all my fellow volunteers for making it so."

Not only did the initiative feed NHS workers, it raised more than £743,000 through donations, matched in full by Dream Chasing – part of the Dennis Family Foundation – which also covered all additional running costs.

The campaign is endorsed by NHS Charities Together and its aim was to support critical NHS workers fighting Covid-19 with their basic daily needs.

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Mr Dennis said: “We committed to serve one million meal packs in three months, and with the extraordinary support of so many amazing people and companies we’ve done exactly that. The NHS has worked tirelessly for us during this crisis and so I hope what we have done with this campaign has made their daily lives a bit easier to manage.

Oxford Mail:

“As we start to wind down production I am filled with hope and thanks. Hope that we will together overcome this awful pandemic, and thanks to the NHS for what they are doing, as well as to everyone who has supported us to ensure this campaign made good on its promise to the NHS frontline.

“In the past my teams have won many Grand Prix and Championships – and I know how much goes into achieving a goal – but contributing to this effort, at such an important time for our country, has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. As ever, these things are never done alone, it is always about a team and the Salute the NHS team has been simply superb.”