This unique bench has been installed in a public garden at The Mater Infirmorum Hospital in Belfast as a ‘thank you’ for the outstanding efforts of medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic from Bender Ireland, a key supplier to hospitals.
Regional Director of Bender Ireland Chris Simmons visited The Mater to meet Stephen Johnson and Thomas McMullen of the Estates team and to see the bench in its location at Mullally Garden near the hospital’s entrance atrium.
The bench was designed by Cumbrian architectural blacksmith Chris Brammall of CB Arts and is one of five strikingly unique benches which have been donated to hospitals by Bender UK to mark the company’s 25th anniversary. A sixth bench is installed at the UK head office in Cumbria, which supports the expanding Bender Ireland business unit.
Chris Simmons says: “As a company working closely with healthcare professionals throughout the pandemic, we witness every day the dedication of staff and during the COVID-19 pandemic saw first-hand their courage and determination to provide first-class care for patients. The benches are designed to be a lasting recognition of their efforts and a symbol of our support for the health service in Ireland and across the UK.”
Bender Ireland, a business unit of Bender has been delivering critical electrical safety solutions to hospitals for 25 years and the dedicated team has recently been boosted by staff recruitment and expansion with new contracts across Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Bender supplies a range of hospital products and services from turnkey theatre upgrades, medical IT power and battery backup systems to clinical equipment including surgical lights, operating tables and theatre control systems. The team currently supports more than 100 hospitals with technical advice, sales, installation and annual 24/7 maintenance contracts, which offer rapid response call-out and repair services.