A Bristol restaurant forced to close early for Christmas due to Covid has cleared its food fridges to raise money for a local charity.
Wilson’s restaurant in Redland closed a week earlier than planned due to a number of staff testing positive for the virus.
And rather than let the perishable items in the fridge go to waste, owner Jan Ostle decided to sell off the food to raise money for homeless charity StreetSmart.
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The items for sale included locally grown vegetables, meat, bread and game birds.
Jan sent out a message to customers via social media and the response was overwhelming, according to the chef/proprietor.
“We cleared our fridge in an hour and raised around £700 for StreetSmart,” says Jan.
“I’m relieved that the food went to good homes and, as ever, I am humbled and moved by the people of Bristol’s generosity and words of support.
“A number of staff tested positive for Covid and whilst the rest of the team await PCRs it became clear that we were unable to operate properly and safely.”
Anybody with a booking this week is being contacted personally by Jan and their tables rescheduled for a later date, although with Covid cases rising sharply and no updates for hospitality from the Government, he isn’t sure when that will be.
“We are due to re open on January 12 but, just like the rest of the country, I haven’t got a clue what’s going on. There is certainly no point opening if things are going to be this dicey.
“I just want to thank my community, colleagues, customers, suppliers and all the people who have helped to get us through this incredibly challenging time.
“I’m so incredibly lucky to be able to spend my days working and interacting with people who inspire me and encourage me.”
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