A project launched by two Suffolk actors to feed health workers will be now be providing 25,000 hot meals every day - as donations to the campaign top £1million.
Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory’ FeedNHS scheme, originally a partnership with fast food chain Leon and its founder John Vincent, as well as Little Britain star Matt Lucas, was set up at the end of March to help serve meals to NHS staff fighting coronavirus on the frontlines.
It has since generated more than £1million in fundraising, meaning the number of meals that can be provided every day has jumped from 5,000 initially to 25,000 from next week.
And the couple, who have a home near Sudbury, are ambitiously planning to add an edditional 15,000 daily meals to the total over the next six weeks.
Other restaurant chains, such as Dishoom, Wasabi, and Franco Manca, have joined the project to ensure staff at 55 hospitals throughout the UK will be catered for from Monday.
As well as Leon, hospitality firms BaxterStorey and Mealforce will be delivering the dishes to hospital, located right across the country.
Mr Lewis has thanked everyone who has contributed to the campaign so far - but has urged the public to give what they can to ensure health workers can continue to be fed during the Covid-19 crisis.
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He said: “Thanks to the generosity of people at home and of businesses we have reached our initial target of £1million.
“Every day we learn how to better support the hospitals, but also how big the need is, so we are continuing to raise the money that is needed to serve meals to more of our frontline NHS workers.”
And NHS staff have paid tribute to Mr Lewis’ and Mrs McCrory’s scheme, saying it has made a “massive difference” to health workers, whose workload has increased dramatically during the virus outbreak.
Carol Haraldsson, head of charitable giving at UCLH NHS Trust Foundation, added: “Many doctors and nurses in critical care units do not have time to leave wards to get a good meal. “Support from the FeedNHS coalition and funding has made a massive difference to our frontline team at UCLH, helping to get meals to NHS staff that need them most.”
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