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Prizes worth over £10,000 have been donated, from a cocktail masterclass, chef cooked meals at the winner’s home, Brighton experiences and gifts offering a slice of the Brighton we are missing today.

Set up in March by local residents Simon Livermore and Petra Exton, the Brighton and Hove NHS Foodbank started by providing food and groceries to NHS staff during the battle against Coronavirus.

Now partnering with the Brighton Restaurants Association and its members, the concept delivers four delicious meals 24 hours a day to the front-line Critical Care team at the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) in Brighton and the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath, providing a total of 1,400 meals a week.

Members of the public have generously contributed over £18,000 through a Crowdfunder to cover the cost price for the suppliers and makers of the food.

Some businesses have directly donated food too. Whilst not only providing an invaluable service to the NHS, the funds raised also allow businesses in the hospitality sector to keep going by offering a core function. To date, the Crowdfunder has had support from local celebrities including Zoe Ball, comedian Joe Wilkinson, crime writer Peter James and a host of other well-known faces in the local area.

To continue funding meals for the NHS, the Brighton and Hove NHS Foodbank has launched The Brighton Experience Auction, going live on Thursday April 16, just after the Clap of NHS.

Founder of the Brighton and Hove NHS Foodbank, Simon Livermore said: “We’ve been amazed by the generosity of our community since we kicked this off in March. It’s been great to be able to team up with chefs, restaurateurs and local businesses to keep some of their members going, whilst providing this incredible service to NHS.

“The auction is designed to give bidders the chance to look forward to something special once the lockdown is over and normality returns, which it will.

“We are currently delivering over 200 meals to frontline critical team staff at both the Royal Sussex and Princess Royal Hospitals and every pound raised through the auction will help us provide this as long as it is needed. A massive thank you to all the businesses who have contributed and everyone who bids - good luck, there are some simply incredible lots to bid for.”

Prizes include: City wide chefs including Ben McKellar of Gingerman Group, Alun Sperring of Chilli Pickle, and Jamie Halsall of Cin Cin offering lavish cook at home experiences; a seasonal guided tour of wine estate Chapel Down, wine and beer boxes from Laines, Ridgeview and others; restaurant and cooking class, tasting experiences from Easy Tiger, Fourth and Church, The Salt Room, 640 East, La Choza and many more; Brighton experience days and unique gifts from brands including Brighton Pier.

The auction will go live on Thursday April 16 at 8pm and run until April 26.

Visit www.32auctions.com/BrightonFeedNHS to see the full listing of prizes and place a bid. If you are a local business that would like to donate a prize, please contact Olivia Reid at the Brighton Restaurant Association - [email protected].

Coronavirus: Brighton and Hove businessess donate £10,000 worth of prizes to raise funds for the city’s NHS Foodbank to feed front-line staff