Businesses from across Lincolnshire have shown their generosity by donating various items to the staff working at the county’s coronavirus testing centre at the Lincolnshire Showground.

Since the drive-through testing centre was set up almost two weeks ago, over 65 staff have been working at the site each day which is run by Boots and Serco.

Staff who are working at the testing centre seven days a week have been inundated with items ranging from food and drink to hand sanitiser, all of which have been kindly donated by local businesses.

After hearing that the on-site staff needed meals and refreshments, Uncle Henry’s Farm Shop near Gainsborough was keen to help in some way and provided over 140 lunchtime meals for all the testing centre staff.

The Lincoln Waitrose store also donated various ingredients for sandwiches and The Back Garden Bakery in Bracebridge Heath supplied cupcakes for the testing centre staff to enjoy on their breaks.

The Lincoln Tea and Coffee Company also kindly provided much needed coffee and cups for the staff to enjoy during their long shifts.

The testing centre has also welcomed donations from two of the county’s breweries – The Dambusters Inn donated several litres of beer while the Lincolnshire Brewing Company donated its Rainbow Session Bitter, which it had brewed for the Lincoln Beer Festival, to the staff for them to enjoy after a long day’s shift.

Meanwhile Witham Oil and Paint Group kindly donated over £1,000 worth of hand sanitiser and 100% alcohol spray to staff working on site to help prevent the spread of the virus during the crucial testing process.

Jayne Southall, CEO at the Lincolnshire Showground, said: “We’re so thankful for all the donations that have been sent to the COVID-19 testing centre based at the Showground over the last few weeks.

“It’s humbling to see our wonderful county pull together and work as a team to support each other during this uncertain time – and we are so proud we can support the testing team as they work around the clock, providing vital testing to support our NHS and key workers.

“Deloitte, Serco and the military got in touch with us in April about setting up the testing centre at the Showground and it was up and running by Saturday that week; it’s been an amazing team effort by all.”