Sheila Dillon

By Frank supporting us as a business, we support Mark as a business, and it has that chain effect that we're supporting the local economy.

So it's very important for Frank to support his business by buying fresh local vegetables from a local supplier which is supporting local farmers.

I mean, it's fascinating because we've been to places, especially in the southwest, where they found it almost impossible to do what you and Frank have managed to pull together.

You know, they've got so bogged down in bureaucracy and rules that it just hasn't worked.

And yet here you are, as you say, supporting the local economy.

Yes, there is plenty of that bureaucracy around supplying the NHS or any sort of government businesses and so on and that, unless you're a big player in food service.

It is very difficult to support certain contracts, but thankfully, by the support of Frank and his passion for what he does, he's allowed it to happen and given us the opportunities to make sure that businesses like ours

can supply the NHS and can supply the NHS with local produce, more importantly, and keep that supply chain as minimal as possible.

It's very heartening because, you know, we've made a lot of programs recently, you know, looking at that report last year about having secure food supplies.

What you're talking about a local food network, really, aren't you?

Well, the local food network protects you from them things as well.

When COVID hit us, we were a supply chain that was there for them locally and made sure it still happened.

When the big food service companies couldn't deliver or couldn't supply, we ensured we made literally 99% of our deliveries and with what they needed to ensure the patients of hospitals and care homes, which doesn't switch off at any time, it's 52 weeks a year,

And under whatever's going on around us, whether it's war or COVID or whatever, they still need to be fed.

By using a local supply chain, we still ensure that happens.

And thankfully, even now, touch wood, with what's going on around us again now, we feel quite strong.

It was a pleasure to speak to you.

And thank you for letting us interrupt your conversation.

Not at all.

Thank you very much.