Hall & Woodhouse has donated more than 5,500 bottles of its Rio Tropical Light soft drink to NHS staff, other key workers across Dorset and Poole Community Exchange’s Foodbank.

Anthony Woodhouse, Chairman of Hall & Woodhouse, explained: “With our pubs being temporarily closed, we wanted to use this time to give back to our local communities and acknowledge the amazing work that NHS staff and other key workers are carrying out across the county.

“During this difficult time, our team members have nominated charities and causes close to their hearts, that they believe deserve a donation of Rio soft drink. We are committed to living and breathing our company’s purpose of making people’s day and serving our communities even in these unprecedented times.”

Donations have been made to the NHS frontline staff at Poole Hospital, Dorset County Hospital and Alderney Hospital in Poole. The key workers at Dorset County Council’s Charminster Depot also received a Rio Tropical donation.

Rio is a soft drink made with 10 per cent fruit juice and sparking water with a unique tropical taste. It is owned and nurtured by Hall & Woodhouse, an independent family company that also brews award-winning Badger ales, and runs a collection of around 180 beautiful pubs and inns across the south of England. The business is dedicated to supporting its communities and causes, having launched a Community Chest Emergency Fund to help those in financial difficulty in the coming months. The remaining Community Chest funds will be distributed later in the year, to focus on supporting voluntary and charity organisations through their recovery and resilience phase.