Sodexo kept troops fuelled with 50,000 meals for the King’s Coronation
June 19, 2023
Last month, Sodexo’s teams across five military bases served more than 50,000 meals in the build up to and during the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla.
As a long trusted partner to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Sodexo supplied around-the-clock services ahead of and during the official events in London and Windsor. These ranged from catering and cleaning to accommodation, tailoring and transport services at military sites in the south and south-east.
St Omer barracks in Aldershot, part of Project Allenby Connaught provided accommodation for over 600 additional troops taking part in the official proceedings. With additional service personnel on site Sodexo served up an additional 6,000 breakfasts, on some days from 3am; 4,000 lunches and 2,200 packed lunches, 5,800 dinners included a late evening service for drivers, marshals and security teams.
With rehearsals held at Aldershot Garrison, Sodexo teams hosted a number of visiting VIPs including Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.
Teams at Colchester Garrison provided additional support to members of the 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team with the tailoring, catering and transportation to Aldershot Garrison ahead of rehearsals and Coronation Day.
RAF Halton in Aylesbury and HMNB Portsmouth were also used as bases for personnel involved in the Coronation; RAF Halton hosting 950 and HMNB Portsmouth 116.
To cater for the increased personnel numbers, Sodexo brought in extra mobile catering units and extended mealtimes and opening hours of retail outlets. Cleaning regimes were adjusted accordingly and additional facilities such as portaloos provided across sites.
RAF Odiham was also used in the preparations with the one and only full-scale rehearsal ahead of the main parade. Sodexo’s team there provided additional VIP light lunches in the Officer’s Mess and significantly increased its retail and waste management services.
Paul Anstey, CEO Government, Sodexo UK & Ireland, said:
The King’s Coronation was a historic moment with personnel from across the Armed Forces playing an important part in the official celebrations.
I am proud of all of our teams who distinguished themselves and ensured this amazingly large and complex operation ran smoothly for our military partners at each of the sites involved.
Seeing first-hand the hard work and dedication of the troops in preparing for an event like this reinforces the importance of providing them with the best lived experience possible.
This week is Armed Forces Week (19-24 June), celebrating the British Armed Forces. Sodexo has worked with the British military and defence sites for more than 40 years, with tailored solutions to help military leaders and service units improve the quality of life of individuals, the community and on-site environment. Below is the Sodexo UK & Ireland Regional Leadership team saluting our forces to mark this important week.
Sodexo was an early signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant which was launched in 2013 and in 2022 was re-awarded its gold status in the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme for its commitment and support to the UK’s Armed Forces community. It first received gold in 2017.