4 minute read
Hospitality Action: Bright Future
Hospitality is a way of life: A brighter future is possible
By Our Industry Charity Partners ‘Hospitality Action’
Advertisement
Hospitality Action is the benevolent charity for the Hospitality sector. They provide financial relief to alleviate poverty for people who work or have worked in UK hospitality. Additionally, they provide counselling, advice and signposting to people facing mental health challenges or dealing with illness, bereavement, debt or addiction. Also running an outreach programme to keep loneliness at bay for hospitality retirees. 2020 has been a transformational year for everybody in the UK, not least of which are those working in the Hospitality sector which has been at the sharp end of enforced closures and economic woes. There have been some heartwrenching examples of lives thrown into poverty over the last few months but also some inspirational stories that suggest the industry will come back stronger, and a nicer place to work than ever before.
Mark Lewis, Hospitality Action CEO said “One of the most remarkable things we’ve noticed at Hospitality Action is just how much the great British public love the hospitality industry and how far they’re prepared to go to help it get back on its feet. As the headlines of job losses and closures started to spread, we noticed an outpouring of solidarity for the industry with inspirational messages accompanying gifts large and small made on our website.
Starting at £250 their grants provide short term relief to those facing sudden poverty. “We helped one man who had just £1.22 in his bank account – as a live-in worker he’d not only lost his job, but his home too. We helped him travel to his new accommodation and kit it out when he got there. Another person we helped was a vulnerable retiree who had long-since run out of money on his gas meter and would make soup with a single carrot and a potato cooked on the one electric hob he could afford to operate.”
The industry is also helping its own both financially and with emotional support.
For many, hospitality isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life. Whether it’s having your name above the door of your own business or it’s toiling in the kitchen to build the perfect team to create knock-out dishes – hospitality gets under your skin, and it can define who you are as a person. The sudden loss of your job isn’t just about the financial impact – the mental health impacts can be devastating. There’s no better way to mask an underlying mental health issue than by working long hours in a fast-paced and fun environment and suddenly finding oneself at home, worrying about the future, had a detrimental effect on the mental health of people across the industry.
If you’re a hospitality worker and need help you can call Hospitality Action’s confidential helpline on 0808 802 0282 The Samaritans can be reached on 0330 094 5717 and there’s a wealth of information on the Mind website too mind.org.uk
Gift To Share
Through our partnership with Hospitality Action, we donate funds from all our sales and commissions which are donated directly to help individuals within the industry in greater need. Look out for the #GiftToShareExperiences activity on our website and social media to lend your support. £2 from the sale of this guide is donated to Hospitality Action. Thank You.
More information and to donate visit
hospitalityaction.org.uk
Follow on social media @HospAction
Images courtesy: ©Ben Meadows
Ellie Arden, a chef has worked in the industry since she was 14, having combatted anxiety. Art has helped her express her innermost thoughts. She says ‘Why not use this time to do something creative? Bake for your neighbours, make some messy art with the kids or why not plant your garden?’ As creative hands-on people chefs have turned their hands to cooking for their community or art to release their pent up creative energy. The very fact these brave people have so publicly shared their own experiences shows how much progress has been made on mental health awareness in the industry. It also gives insights to nonhospitality people facing the same issues. Hospitality is a fast-paced place to work, and active hospitality people don’t always cope well with enforced solitude and quietness but, regardless of what you do for a living we all face similar worries at the moment. Norfolk Chef and Deli-owner Charlie Hodson, is a Hospitality Action Ambassador who has been open about his mental health challenges and suicide attempts his advice is simple. ‘Each day remember one thing that you’re proud of in your life, be thankful for it, and those around you’. He believes that starting the day with a positive thought sets you on your way with a more upbeat attitude. Like many in the industry Cornwallbased Chef Adrian Oliver suddenly found himself with time on his hands. He decided to channel his energy into a project he’d wanted to undertake for a long time. He renovated an old catering trailer turning into a mail order sticky toffee pudding factory and using it to prepare meals for delivery at the weekend. ‘I’ve also spent much more time with my family which I’ve done
previously, which has been fantastic.’
You can find out more about Hospitality Action and donate at
