BIG HEARTS OF LITTLE BLACKWOOD
the governments guidance on social distancing and self-isolation. We panicked a few days in, because what started as 9 or 10 orders for the following few days soon resulted in over a hundred emails a day requesting produce – we weren’t ‘geared’ up for it and so my partner and myself were up until midnight trying to reconcile who had ordered what, where it needed to be delivered, what the cost would be based on our supplier rates then getting the order in from copious emails. Once the goods arrived, typically around 7.00 in the morning, we would start packing it all and eventually we’d be able to deliver it to the local community. We tried to charge as little as possible for delivery, and even donated the delivery fees to the NHS during some of the weeks. While this was going on, we knew we could do a bit more. The kitchen wasn’t being utilised and despite how difficult things seem to be for us, those on the frontline have it harder. We were asked if we could do a lunch for the carers at Moseley Hall Hospital. We got in the best beef we could source, and that Sunday morning we prepared a full Sunday dinner, with all the trimmings, and delivered it to the staff at the Hospital. It wasn’t anything super fancy but it was a bit of a thank you to those working so hard and putting themselves at risk. We’ve done a few things like this before, Christmas Eve dinner for homeless shelters and supporting other charities, but we’ve been really proud to support the NHS over the past few weeks, and also those in our community who’ve supported us over the last few years. If nothing else we’re keeping ourselves busy and trying to ensure that we’re in a position to continue Little Blackwood in the years to come – we’re especially excited about the party once we can all get out and be with our friends and family again.
Zsofia and Ben from Little Blackwood restaurant write about their efforts to adapt to the lockdown period with home deliveries, supporting the vulnerable in our community and helping out frontline workers... Since the government introduced a lockdown on 23 March, things for us at Little Blackwood, and it would seem the industry as a whole, have been difficult. We knew that we needed to adapt, even if it’s just in the short term, in an effort to ensure we could stay afloat and reopen when things do eventually start getting back to normal, but just as important to us was the community we are a part of. We have such a wonderful client base who support us in all that we do, and a fantastic range of local suppliers who were also feeling the pressure with so many of their customers and clients having to close; that’s why we decided to see if we could help our friends within the community. It started out as an idea to deliver more specifically to those who couldn’t get out such as the elderly, but we soon realised that more and more people were struggling to get hold of items in a safe way which complied with
-Zsofia and Ben COMMUNITY
14
www.moseleyb13.com
