South Cheshire firm boost charity to help rural African families

A South Cheshire company is extending its charitable support overseas with a new scheme to help mothers feed and educate their children in rural African communities.

Alpha Omega, based on Crewe Business Park, began its mission in Nigeria at Christmas arranging food parcels to go to mothers, many of them widows, who struggle to feed their children.

So overjoyed were they to receive bags of rice, cooking oil and other food to cook, the company received reports of them ‘dancing happily’ and chanting Alpha Omega as the parcels were handed out.

Now the security business, established by former Nantwich man and champion kickboxer Ken Lawton 23 years ago, in collaboration with Ms Ukachukwu, a Researcher on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), is setting up the Alpha Omega Foundation to carry on more good works internationally.

One first task will be to arrange another food drop for the mothers and widows of Ndiobasi, a rural community in southeast of Nigeria, towards Easter with chocolate eggs for the Christian community.

Another aim will be to reach out to the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities of Britain to nourish the children of hard-up families and support education initiatives steering young people away from a life of crime.

Ken said: “We began this mission in Nigeria, to give humanitarian aid. Women, more than 70 of them, felt a huge weight lifted of their shoulders.

“It was only a small gesture for us but one which had a massive benefit to them. It touched our hearts to hear how they did a little dance of joy and sang our company name.

“We are now in the process of establishing the Alpha Omega Foundation to do more in this country and overseas. It’s in the early stages but the main elements will be enhancing security through women in communities.

“As a security company, our job is to protect people and premises and this will be a way of highlighting a different path for young people who may otherwise be drawn into a life of crime.”

Alpha Omega, a major employer of more than 300 South Cheshire people, provides mobile security, static guards, CCTV monitoring and key-holding services for a wide range of high-profile companies and local authorities.

In recent months its charity support has included being a major sponsor of Leighton Hospital’s Merry Miles fundraiser for the Lost Little Ones appeal to create a dedicated suite on the labour ward for bereaved parents.

Also it has backed Children Living with Cancer, Autism UK and the appeal for Wistaston boy Georgy Capener who is suffering from rare form of bone cancer.

Ken added: “Footballer Marcus Rashford MBE has done a tremendous job at highlighting the needs of hungry children in this country.

“The pandemic, however, has pushed starvation overseas out of the headlines so we began the effort in Africa.

“We just know the mums will be overjoyed to receive more food and wish we could only be there to see their happy faces especially when they receive chocolate eggs.”

(Pic: Alpha Omega owner Ken Lawton and his partner Ms Amaka Ukachukwu, a Researcher on Women, Peace and Security, are supporting women and children in rural African communities. And Alpha Omega owner Ken Lawton and his assistant Loren Mumford with a cheque for Leighton Hospital’s Lost Little Ones appeal)