An engineering company which provides a vital service to NHS hospitals has received funding from NatWest to assist its work during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rotamec, based in Cheddar, repairs heating and pumping systems used in hospital theatres and patient wards, which are under increased demand because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The company, which employs 65 staff members, has been supported by NatWest’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Funding Scheme.

The funding has helped Rotamec maintain its 24/7 on-call service, which ‘hundreds of customers’ dependent on.

Launched by managing director Simon Brooks in 2000, Rotamec also provides services to food manufacturers across the region, which supply products to larger supermarkets.

Simon said: “The pandemic is forcing lots of businesses to temporarily suspend their operations, but that wasn’t an option for us.

“Too many frontline services involved in fighting the pandemic rely upon our support to ensure the facilities they use are reliant and operational.

“We, therefore, needed to maintain our engineering workforce and have worked with NatWest to access the funding we needed to continue working at capacity.

“The bank was great in working quickly to support us and provide the funds we needed, and is continuing to help provide services to frontline organisations like the NHS.”

The company in Cheddar, in Draycott Road, also has offices in Exeter, South Wales and Redditch.

Senior relationship manager at NatWest, Paul Grantham, said: “We believe it’s really important for us as a bank to be as supportive as possible for our customers during the pandemic.

“This is what is driving our work during this difficult time, both through providing loans and other supportive services such as free employee management guidance.

“Rotamec, like many businesses across the country, are working tirelessly to support others, and that’s why we worked quickly to give the company the help and funding they needed.

“We want businesses to know we are there for them and will do everything we can to support them.”