Teas for Refugees & their Host Families Launched by The Restaurant Club
London restaurants and hotels invited to host afternoon teas for refugees and host families
The Restaurant Club, the UK’s largest and most active Facebook restaurant recommendation group, is calling on London’s hospitality industry to donate afternoon teas to refugees and their host families by signing up at www.teasforrefugees.com.
Hotels, restaurants, cafés and tearooms are being asked to donate one afternoon tea for up to six guests this summer. Venues that have already signed up include The Connaught, Flemings Mayfair, Bluebird Chelsea, The Landmark London, Ham Yard Hotel, The Beaumont, The Franklin London and Cinnamon Bazaar.
Louisa Walters, Founder of The Restaurant Club, comments:
“So many London families have shown true compassion by opening their homes to refugees, and now we are calling on the hospitality industry to make a gesture of support. Afternoon tea is quintessentially British, and we want to facilitate special outings and help new refugees feel at home in our country – and what better way to do that then by integrating them into the fabric of our traditions and customs?
“I am delighted to be using The Restaurant Club platform for a hugely worthwhile cause once again. I hope that many businesses within our wonderfully benevolent industry will be able to show this kindness. It’s a small gesture that will go such a long way for people who have been through unimaginable difficulty and for those kind enough to welcome them into their homes.”
Tea For Refugees was inspired by a member of The Restaurant Club (TRC) who reached out on the group to ask for recommendations for a not-too-expensive (for obvious reasons) place where she could treat the two Ukrainian refugees she was housing to afternoon tea. TRC reached out to a hotel who kindly offered to host them all for tea with their compliments. Out of this wonderful gesture, Tea for Refugees was born as a way of giving host families and their refugees a special outing by treating them to that very British of institutions: Afternoon Tea.
During the 2020 lockdown, The Restaurant Club ran an award-winning campaign to support independent restaurants by fundraising to buy meals from them to feed the NHS – the restaurants got paid and the staff got fed – it was a win-win! The campaign raised almost £70,000 and delivered 12,000 meals to hospitals across London and Herts including The Royal Free, North Middlesex and the Whittington.
Hospitality businesses interested in signing up should register at www.teasforrefugees.com and host families can also request their afternoon tea online. For further enquiries please email hello@teasforrefugees.com
The Restaurant Club
Facebook: @therestclub