As sponsors of the South Stand, Xledger had expected to be celebrating the on-field heroes at Ashton Gate. However, after the mass vaccination centre was set up in the South Stand concourse, the cloud-based financial software solution company decided to honour frontline staff there by handing out free lunches at key milestones throughout the pandemic.

As an NHS vaccination volunteer himself, Xledger CEO Mark Pullen was today handing out lunches to NHS workers and volunteers at the stadium. It follows the news this week that a third of all adults have now received their second dose and the stadium itself has delivered more than a hundred thousand vaccines to the Bristol community.

“When we first got involved with Bristol Sport and the stadium, never did we think this was where our support would lead us. It is incredible to see first-hand the amazing work that continues to go on here in the stadium whilst sport has had to be played behind closed doors.” Said Pullen.

“Our sponsorship comes with a great deal of pride for Xledger staff, but as we’re unable to attend the South Stand, we wanted to support the efforts of frontline workers in some small part, so we decided to provide a complimentary lunch for all workers to celebrate key milestones along the way.

“Coming here today to see the operation in motion, seeing hundreds of people getting vaccinated against this awful virus is really uplifting. To be able to give the staff and volunteers a free lunch as a small token of our thanks for all their hard work and commitment to getting us out of this pandemic is incredibly humbling.”

The NHS Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire region has administered nearly three quarters of a million vaccinations to date, with 62% of over-16s already receiving their first dose.

Hannah Bailey, Ashton Gate Vaccination Centre Operations Manager said: “We’ve been running the vaccination centre here at Ashton Gate since the beginning of the year and are really proud of what has been achieved. The collaboration between the NHS, stadium team and other community partners has enabled us to provide an effective vaccination service to the Bristol community.

“We have been made to feel so welcome by the stadium and their sponsors and want to say a huge thank you to Xledger for lunch, today, to celebrate our 100,000th vaccination! It makes the team feel appreciated and valued for their hard work during the pandemic and we have been really lucky to be so inundated with support from the local community.”

Xledger’s growing association with Bristol Sport was formed on its commitment to be inclusive, help drive opportunities for all ages and to help elevate Bristol as a dynamic and exciting place to live and work.

In partnership with Ashton Gate, which has offered discounted rates for the food provision, Xledger has previously celebrated the 75,000-mark with NHS staff and volunteers and will continue to mark key milestones in the community’s recovery.

Read more about Xledger’s corporate social responsibility here.