Ireland’s number one chicken brand, Moy Park is celebrating 80 years of leading expertise with the finest quality produce and is launching a series of initiatives to support local communities in the areas where they operate.

To mark the company’s 80^th year, Moy Park has revealed its ‘This is Home’ community initiative to reward 80 homegrown sports clubs, schools and local charities across Northern Ireland and GB.

Moy Park will support 20 grassroots sports clubs with bursaries and sports equipment, celebrating the best of its communities and local talent. In addition, 20 schools will be selected to receive a £500 bursary and 20 charities will be nominated to be surprised with £1000. A further 20 bursaries will be awarded to various organisations, celebrating 20 more key moments in the year.

Moy Park’s success story began in 1943 in the village of Moy, County Tyrone and now the business spans 700 farms across NI and GB, with 12 production sites and 9,000 employees.

‘SUPPORTING WORTHY CAUSES’

The first element of the ‘This is Home’ campaign will see Moy Park revisit some of the charities it has supported over the last 80 years. Employees in the company’s NI and GB sites are being asked to nominate 20 of the charities the company has supported throughout the last 80 years. The nominated charities will then be announced in early September and will each be surprised with a £1,000 donation.

Ellen Wright, Senior Brand Manager said: “We are so proud to be celebrating our 80^th anniversary and there’s no better way to celebrate with the public than to support our local communities and charities, those we place at the heart of our business.

“We’re thrilled to launch ‘This is Home’ and give back to those who’ve supported us throughout the past 80 years of success, as Moy Park has grown to be an integral part of many homes within our communities.

“It will be great to revisit some of the many charities we’ve supported over the years, with many donations made to date towards a variety of very worthy causes,” added Ellen.

“Having also just announced our new charity partnership with Sands, the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, we’re delighted to have awarded them with the very first of our £1,000 to help support the amazing work they do. We are extremely honoured to have our company-wide partnership with Sands.

“As well as our charity initiative, Moy Park will celebrate 80 years in lots of different ways, including a ‘Home Grown Farmers’ series which has started to play out on our website and social media platforms and our ‘Home for Dinner’ TV campaign due to launch in September, so keep your eyes peeled.”

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Sands works to save babies’ lives and ensure that, when a baby sadly dies, anyone affected gets the support and care they need.

Over the next two years, Moy Park team members across the UK will support this vital work through fundraising activities including coffee mornings, sponsored walks, and quizzes, as well as raising awareness through Baby Loss Awareness Week in October.

Welcoming the new partnership, Kirsty Wilkins, HR & Performance Director at Moy Park said: “Pregnancy and baby loss affects so many of us both directly and indirectly. Currently in the UK, 13 families per day lose their baby before, during, or shortly after birth.

“For more than 40 years, Sands has been here for anyone affected by pregnancy and baby loss to offer understanding and comfort. The charity also supports research that provides the evidence to drive changes in maternity safety to save babies’ lives.

‘We want to help reach people in our local communities affected by these issues and continue to offer support and a safe space for our own colleagues who have experienced this type of loss’

“Through its campaigning and its leadership of Baby Loss Awareness Week, Sands does great work to end the stigma around pregnancy and baby loss. Through our company-wide partnership with Sands across the next two years, we want to help reach people in our local communities affected by these issues and continue to offer support and a safe space for our own colleagues who have experienced this type of loss.”

Clea Harmer, Chief Executive at Sands, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen as Moy Park’s charity partner and are really looking forward to being able to work with them over the next two years.

“This partnership will make an enormous difference to our life-saving work and will help us to amplify our impact and reach more people with the support that they need after pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.”

Moy Park is kicking off the new charity partnership with a £1,000 donation to Sands as part of the company’s “This is Home” charity initiative. To mark the company’s 80^th anniversary, Moy Park will ask their employees to nominate 20 local charities they have supported over the last 80 years and will surprise them with a £1,000 donation over the next few months.

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Those with years of continued service ranging from 20 to 50 years, who cumulatively have achieved 4,000 years working with the company, were recognised at the special awards ceremony which was attended by their family and friends.

Speaking at the celebration event, Moy Park’s President Chris Kirke said: “We are delighted to have so many long serving employees dedicated to Moy Park her in Northern Ireland.

“Across the business, they have built their careers with us and built our company into the successful, sustainable, growing business it is today.

“I want to congratulate all those recognised at the celebration event and thank them for their dedication and long service to Moy Park.”

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More than 80 people from across the province were honoured in King Charles III’s first New Year’s Honours’ List, including notable names from the foodservice, manufacturing and agri-food industries.

Spar retailer, Peter McBride has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). The Omagh businessman received the award for services to the economy and to the community in County Tyrone.

A well-respected and renowned retailer, Peter is the current president of Retail NI, while the McBride Group runs 16 Spar stores throughout Northern Ireland and has won numerous awards.

Managing Director of Spar International, Tobias Wasmuht said: “Peter is a true Spar ambassador internationally, a great retailer, a leader for the independent retail sector, and a local champion for the communities he supports.

“On behalf of the fellow board members of the International Spar Guild of retailers on which Peter has served since 2019, I extend our appreciation and heartfelt congratulations to Peter and his family.”

‘HUMBLED’ TO RECEIVE HONOUR

Executive Director of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA), Michael Bell was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the food and drink industry and to the economy in Northern Ireland.

Since its foundation in 1996, he has been instrumental in the development of the NIFDA and also led the development of the Northern Ireland Food Chain Certification Ltd and the redevelopment of Taste of Ulster.

Mr Bell, from Holywood, said he was “humbled” to receive the honour.

“Food and drink is my lifelong passion, from watching my late father in the family bakery to spending decades working in and on behalf of the industry,” he said.

“While I’m personally delighted, this is also recognition for Northern Ireland food and drink as a whole, and the 113,000 people working in jobs related to the sector. Food and drink is one of Northern Ireland’s most dynamic and successful industries, and our NIFDA members are among the most innovative businesses in NI.

“It is a privilege to champion this great industry and this honour is the icing on the cake,” he added.

Ursula Lavery, Technical and R&D Director at Moy Park, was appointed an MBE for services to the agri-food industry and to the economy in Northern Ireland.

‘This award is testament to the talented people I work with and everything we are doing’

Ursula Lavery MBE

The County Armagh woman joined Moy Park as a Marketing Executive in 1987 and having moved into the Technical and Quality Management side of the business the following year, has since then steadily built the company’s reputation as a leading food company with absolute commitment to animal health, food safety and quality.

Recognised as a leading authority on food safety and poultry research, Ursula sits on several advisory bodies and has received a series of industry awards. She said she was “very humbled” to receive the honour.

“I am absolutely delighted and very humbled to receive this honour. I am proud to be part of the Northern Ireland agri-food industry, and this award is testament to the talented people I work with and everything we are doing to drive food integrity, animal welfare and provide a sustainable supply chain for our farmers and customers.”

President of Moy Park, Chris Kirke also extended his congratulations to Ursula.

“Ursula is committed to achieving excellence across the supply chain, from farm to fork.

“She is a dedicated researcher, director and leader in our industry and on behalf of Moy Park we offer her our congratulations,” he added.

Other award recipients included former Ulster Farmers’ Union president, Victor Chestnutt, who was appointed an OBE for services to agriculture. The Bushmills man described himself as “an ordinary farmer” and said he accepted the royal honour “on behalf of all farmers in Northern Ireland”.

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Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading dementia charity, providing information and support to those affected by dementia while working to improve care and fund research.

Team members at Moy Park have raised over £50,000 since the partnership with Alzheimer’s Society began in March 2021. The company has since matched this amount, donating an additional £50,000 to the charity. This match funding alongside additional fundraising activities brings the donation to £110,000.

Teams from across the Moy Park sites in Northern Ireland have been raising awareness of Alzheimer’s Society and the work they do to help those affected by dementia through activities including sky dives, quizzes, marathons and most recently a hike to the summit of Slieve Donard.

‘We are delighted to match the amount raised ahead of the Christmas period’

Kirsty Wilkins, Moy Park

Linzi Stewart, Community Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society in Northern Ireland said: “We are extremely grateful to the Moy Park team for their incredible donation of over £100k to Alzheimer’s Society.

“There are estimated to be over 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK and too many are facing it alone. We want everyone affected by dementia to know that whoever you are, whatever you’re going through, you can turn to Alzheimer’s Society for practical advice, emotional support, and guidance.

“Last year, Alzheimer’s Society services were used over 4.2 million times and people tell us this support is a real lifeline. Thanks to the generous support of fundraisers like Moy Park, Alzheimer’s Society can be there as a vital source of support and a powerful force for change for everyone affected by dementia.”

Kirsty Wilkins, HR and Performance Director at Moy Park said: “Our teams have gone above and beyond in their fundraising initiatives for this incredible charity, and we are delighted to match the amount raised ahead of the Christmas period, which can be a challenging time for many.”

Moy Park’s charity partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society runs in tandem with the company’s other charitable work including its Community Support Fund initiative and support for a variety of local causes.

For more information, and for advice about dementia, visit Alzheimer’s Society’s website at www.alzheimers.org.uk

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