A restaurant owner has collected £625 for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice in an evening of spicy fundraising.
Shofiq ul Hoque, owner of Sylhet Spice, in Kings Heath, staged the event in memory of one of his regular customers, Katie Grosvenor, who was cared for by the Hospice recently.
A combination of meal sales, a raffle and donations from the 70 customers who attended on the night helped bring in the impressive total. Singer Lisa Marie and comedian JP James also livened up proceedings.
Katie’s mother Nora Birmingham, said: “We were very touched by the charity event. Katie loved eating at the restaurant and to be able to give something back to Birmingham St Mary’s is wonderful after they supported and cared for Katie in such a special way.”
Mr ul Hoque said: “On hearing about the fantastic care provided at Birmingham St Mary’s I decided the least we could do was show our support for this vital local charity. There was a brilliant turnout for our evening and our customers showed real generosity. I’d like to thank everyone who came along.”
Hospice head of fundraising Caroline Taylor said: “This is a wonderful contribution to the hospice. Mr ul Hoque and his customers will make a big difference to people with life-limiting illnesses from Birmingham and Sandwell.”
Annual running costs at the hospice stand at £6.3 million, with around £1 million being raised in its shops and £2.7 million through fundraising.
