16 Jun 2020

Transport for Wales (TfW) has purchased thousands of litres of hand sanitiser from a new Welsh distillery that will help support frontline rail staff across Wales and the Borders.

At the start of this year, Hensol Castle based in the Vale of Glamorgan, originally had plans to open a gin school in the cellars of its 17th century castle. However, as the covid-19 pandemic grew they quickly re-purposed their distillery and started to produce highly effective hand sanitiser for industrial use – to meet the demands of key workers.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, TfW has prioritised the safety of staff and customers through increasing cleaning teams, carrying out extra cleaning at stations, depots and trains and introducing new anti-viral cleaning products.

This new partnership with a local business will allow TfW to boost their supply of Alcohol Gel Sanitiser and assist in the fight against covid-19.

TfW has already placed a very large order of both 100ml pocket size bottles and 2.5 litre jerry cans.

Ken Skates, Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales said:

“Hensol Castle have joined the fantastic effort of businesses across Wales who have adapted the way they work to help us in a time of crisis and I'd like to thank them for everything they're doing.

“Transport for Wales continue to work hard to keep rail passengers safe and this order will help them to look after the welfare of both staff and passengers.”

James Price, Transport for Wales CEO said:

“Transport for Wales is committed to supporting the Welsh economy and as we continue to transform transport across the Wales and Borders network we want SMEs to benefit from our investment, this is a key component of our Sustainable Development Plan.

“I’d like to thank Hensol Castle Distillery for firstly, being proactive and being able to diversify their business to help in the fight against covid-19 and secondly, for supplying us with Alcohol Gel Sanitiser that will be used to further improve safety across our network.

“Throughout this whole pandemic and as we continue to move forward, collaboration and partnership working across all sectors is essential and beneficial.”

Simon Davies from Hensol Castle Distillery said:

“Once we saw the critical need in the NHS and elsewhere we re-purposed our distillery to produce hand sanitiser & set out establishing a supply chain that could meet the urgent demand.

“Whilst the transition was a swift one, it wasn’t always easy to overcome many obstacles, particularly with the supply chain, with some suppliers looking to profiteer from an in demand product. With the help of Transport for Wales and the support of the Welsh Government, however we have now established a robust supply chain and are delighted to help meet demand for key services at such a difficult time.

“Supply will continue for as long as we are needed to help support our frontline services.”