A SRI Lankan restaurant has paired up with a charity to provide free meals to NHS workers at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

The Coconut Tree in St Clement's, Oxford, joined forces with Hospitality for Heroes, a charity set up by charity founder Oli Coles.

Mr Coles, who lives in Chipping Norton, set up Hospitality for Heroes in the height of the pandemic back in March 2020 after his own start-up was halted.

The aim of the charity is to help provide healthy, balanced meals to healthcare staff working long-hours during the Covid crisis.

Mr Coles said: “At the time, the NHS was struggling to get good-healthy meals, but at the same time a lot of produce suppliers in the hospitality industry had fresh food to get rid of.

“So I came up with Hospitality for Heroes, where we buy fresh produce for hospitality suppliers, give them to chefs who are currently on furlough to prepare, and then deliver the food to the hospitals.”

Initially, the charity was focused on providing meals for staff in London. However, after Mr Coles' son became extremely ill and had to be taken care of at the John Radcliffe Hospital, he decided to extend the outreach programme closer to home.

He said: “In December, we welcomed my little boy into the world, and he was born with a heart defect, so we have had to spend a lot of time in the JR over the last three month. After receiving a £2,000 donation from a local man called Chris Chown, we decided to thank those at the JR.”

Mr Coles rang round various restaurants in the city, and The Coconut Tree was the first to reply.

He said: “They were very flexible with the cost per meal, and wanted to give out as many meals as possible.

“They provide quality dishes for just £2.50 which has helped us provide as many meals as possible.”

“Because it is close to home I do the pick ups now and deliver them to the cleaners and porters at the JR. They really are the unsung heroes of this crisis who were so kind to me, my wife and my son.”

To date, Hospitality for Heroes, which is run solely by volunteers, has provided over 125,000 meals to the NHS, and pumped £250,000 into hospitality through donations.

Hospitality for Heroes visits the John Radcliffe four times a week, and over 100 meals are provided with each delivery.

Mr Coles received a British Empire Medal this summer for his work in creating the charity and providing so much support to NHS staff during the pandemic.

He added: “More recently we published a recipe book with celebrities who have helped our cause. 100 per cent of the funds will be used to provide more meals for NHS staff.

“It will always be our intention as a charity to provide the heroes of the hour with quality food, and maybe focus more on the elderly or other emergency services who need our help.”

To donate to the charity Hospitality for Heroes, and help feed NHS staff, visit hospitalityforheroes.com