RESTAURANTS, charities and food outlets have united to pledge their support to staff at the BRI during the coronavirus crisis.

Local firms have rallied to help NHS staff on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis in the past few weeks.

But over the weekend the T&A was contacted by someone claiming to be speaking on behalf of a doctor at the Bradford hospital who said medics on the frontline were not receiving food supplies from local restaurants and businesses.

However, a representative from the Bradford4Better group posted a number of Bradford businesses have been helping out since the lockdown including Al-Khair foundation, Crystal Flowers, Raja’s Pizza, Islamic Relief, Regal Foods, Ahmed Fast Foods, Adam’s Wholesalers, Food to go, United Foods and UK Fried Chicken.

Such firms have given food, water, chocolates and flowers. And staff at the BRI have been so overwhelmed they have had to instruct businesses to stop delivering.

Penny Appeal, a Wakefield-based charity, is distributing donations of food and toiletries to BRI staff every Thursday.

Ridwana Wallace-Laher, Penny Appeal’s head of fundraising, said: “We are supporting BRI every Thursday at the moment.

“We are giving staff things such as crisps, cakes, shampoo and shower gels.

“We have also supported communities in Keighley, Leeds and as mentioned across the UK.

Staff at Mylahore, based in Thornton Road, Bradford, has served over 5,000 meals in the past few weeks alone at BRI and hospitals across the country including Birmingham and Manchester.

Ishfaq Farooq, operations director at MyLahore, said: “Bradford is our priority.

“We are helping out the NHS on a daily basis, giving food to staff at BRI.

“It is our way of giving back at this time. People need to get fed.

“Part of our business value is being there for the community.”

Nichola Rennard, a sister with the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, tweeted her experiences: “Every day a delivery of grab bags for staff have been sent to my ward.

“We have been provided with food, fruit, bottled water, snack bars, crisps, hand creams and even got an Easter egg this week.

“The generosity of local people/businesses has been amazing. Thank you."

Mel Pickup, chief executive officer at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, tweeted: “Please be assured that this is absolutely NOT our experiences. We have been, and continue to be, inundated with gifts for all our staff of food, chocolate, hand creams, toiletries, soft drinks, and much more, we are eternally grateful for your ongoing support.”