RAW and GAIL’s proudly welcomed Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh to RAW’s Oxfordshire manufacturing base on 26 November, celebrating their long-standing partnership and shared commitment to social value.
RAW—Europe’s largest social enterprise furniture manufacturer—employs a workforce where 75 per cent of employees have overcome significant life challenges, including addiction and mental health issues.
The Duchess toured the site with RAW Managing Director Rick Mower, meeting team members and witnessing the organisation’s design and manufacturing processes.
Beyond its commercial operation, RAW reinvests all profits into RAW Potential, a youth charity that offers alternative education pathways and career-building opportunities.
The Duchess met Head of Youth Services Sophie King and spoke with young people currently benefitting from the programme.
The visit also showcased the four-year partnership between GAIL’s Bakery and RAW. GAIL’s Head of Property, Michelle Pollard-Smith, joined the tour, highlighting how RAW’s socially made joinery now features across GAIL’s estate.
Together, the organisations have developed the GAIL’s Hub, part of RAW’s Harvesting initiative—an innovative circular-economy programme that recovers and upcycles materials and equipment from hospitality businesses nationwide.
Rick Mower praised the visit as an important recognition of RAW’s mission to offer skills, dignity and opportunity without judgement. Michelle Pollard-Smith added that the partnership reflects a shared commitment to sustainability, waste reduction, and meaningful social impact.
