A SELF-STORAGE company is offering free storage to social enterprises during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Business U Hold The Key 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 in support of businesses needing help during the pandemic.

U Hold The Key is one of the UK’s leading self-storage firms, and is a division of the Parsons Containers Group, headquartered in Sedgefield, County Durham.

The company was founded by North-East entrepreneur Ean Parsons in 2000 who stepped up to the role of chief executive and chair of the board earlier this year.

His former role of managing director was handed to Damien Murphy who is a trained engineer and experienced business leader.

The Northern Echo:

There are now 11 U Hold The Key sites, with around 1,500 container stores, with secure 24-hour access for customers.

The offer of free storage is open to social enterprises that are being impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. These include those operating in health and social care, food banks, and other charities and organisations.

Damien Murphy, managing director of the Parsons Containers Group, said: “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 A19 under the Tees flyover, and on the A66 near Darlington.

Social enterprises that want to take advantage of the free storage offer should contact 0800-3894319 by Sunday, May, 31.