Member Article

North East container firm offers free storage to social enterprises during COVID-19 outbreak

North East self-storage company U Hold The Key is offering free storage to social enterprises during the COVID-19 outbreak. The firm has sites in locations throughout the region and all are still open, designated as essential services. Subject to terms and conditions, social enterprises can access up to six months of free self-storage in a U Hold The Key container.

U Hold The Key is one of the UK’s leading self-storage firms, and is a division of the Parsons Containers Group, founded by North East entrepreneur Ean Parsons in 2000. There are now 11 U Hold The Key sites, hosting around 1,500 container stores, with secure 24/7 access for customers. The offer of free storage is open to social enterprises that are being impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, including those operating in health and social care, food banks, and other charities.

Damien Murphy, managing director of the Parsons Containers Group, explains: “U Hold The Key is categorised as part of the essential logistics chain, so we’re still open on all sites. We have adapted to the current situation, implementing a new contactless system for dealing with customers, and safe procedures at each location to ensure adequate social distancing. Like many businesses, we’re facing huge challenges right now, but as well as dealing with those, we also want to support the wider community, and we do have some self-storage containers that we are able to offer free of charge to social enterprises, to help them out.”

U Hold The Key has sites throughout the North East, in Alnwick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Birtley, Sunderland, Bishop Auckland, Mainsforth (near Ferryhill), Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, A19 (under the Tees flyover), and on the A66 near Darlington. Social enterprises that want to take advantage of the free storage offer should do so by 31 May.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chris Lines .