By Chris Cornford
Island companies have raised more than £6,000 for the Island branch of the Wessex Cancer Trust – and treated their staff to delicious meals into the bargain.
It’s all down to the efforts of Yorkshireman turned Islander chef, Paul Thorley, who has been selling his Christmas meal boxes as an alternative to the usual Christmas work ‘do’, and donating the profits to the charity. More than 200 meal boxes were delivered yesterday afternoon (Thursday), in a fleet of electric cars.
More than 40 meals were delivered to Wight Fire and Security in Sandown. A spokesmand for the company explained that normally they would close early on the last day before Christmas and they would take all the staff out for a meal to thank them for their work throughout the year. This year that was impossible due to Covid restrictions, but they decided to treat all the staff and their partners to a Yummy Box instead.
Lorraine White, the regional fundraiser for the Wessex Cancer Trust, explained that Paul had undertaken a skydive to raise money for the charity and had then generously offered to donate all the profits from the Christmas Yummy Boxes with over £6,000, raised through a combination of box sales and donations. Paul, his wife Nancy and their son Callum have been working all week up at Gurnard Pines, who had donated the kitchen space to get the boxes ready. She said: “We’re over the moon. Paul and his family have been so generous – they’ve done an amazing job.”
Press Release