INDEPENDENT businesses and catering outlets in Abergavenny have joined the campaign #FeedTheNHSWales

The Angel Hotel, Walnut Tree and The Art Shop & Chapel have joined the collective of independent restaurants and catering businesses across Wales to get thousands of meals a day into Welsh hospitals for critical care staff.

They are working with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and have started providing 100 fresh, nutritional, wholesome meals every day for frontline workers at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny and Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr.

The meals are portioned individually and designed to be easily reheated – a complete and delicious ‘grab and go’ meal to sustain the workforce at this stressful time. With overwhelming support from their furloughed staff, Abergavenny businesses have been spoiled with numerous volunteers keen to help.

Spokesperson Jo Nugent of the Angel Hotel said: ‘‘We have organised small teams on a three day rotation to make the process possible. With carefull planning and having carried out numerous risk assessments, we have put policies in place to ensure our workers are safe and will be able to continue providing this service for as long as possible.

‘‘We have also provided vans and drivers to deliver the food to the hospital each day, this is a totally separate team to the preparation of the meals.’’

And now organisers are hoping Chronicle readers will offer to help

Costs to the businesses to provide the meals are £4 per meal which have included re-opening and stocking their kitchens, rubbish and food waste collection, PPE including masks, gloves and disposable aprons, packaging for individual portions and packaging to transport the individual portions to the hospital in, labelling for each portion, van and fuel costs.

They are appealing to other firms in the area to make a company donation;

In order to feed 100 frontline workers for one day the cost is £400;

To feed 100 frontline workers for one week the cost is £2,800 and in order to feed 100 frontline workers for one month the costs is £11,200

All donations can be made online at the #FeedTheNHSWales Just Giving page – see below link.

For companies who are able to donate please tell the organisers so if you are donating one of the above amounts they can print your company logo with a thank you note on the labelling we produce for each meal (please send over your company logo to Jo Nujgent at the Angel Hotel if you would like organisers to do this).

The group is also posting pictures of the labelled food going out each evening.

Says Jo: ‘‘We and all the frontline staff at Nevill Hall are extremely grateful for any financial help you can provide at this critical time.’’