Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell has put his culinary passion to good use by home-cooking meals in support of the Nottingham branch of Guru Nanak’s Mission.

Newell’s contribution forms part of the Club’s ‘All In’ community initiative designed to support and raise the profile of local charities working to help vulnerable people.

“Cooking is something I enjoy, although sourcing ingredients and cooking up a batch for so many people took a little bit more thought and preparation than usual,” he said.

“There was a real sense of having done something positive at the end of it and I have nothing but respect for the people that help out every week.

“The volunteers that run the mission are hoping that, with our club’s involvement, more people will find out about it and more people will also ask for their help.

“It’s their ambition to provide every local homeless, sheltered or vulnerable person with a hot meal – far more than just meeting the demand of those who have already come forward."

With Covid-19 related self-isolation increasing the volume of people in need of support, Guru Nanak’s mission has seen demand rise locally from around 90 to 300 meals per day in recent weeks.

“Having access to a hot meal at the end of the day is something the majority of us take for granted,” added Newell.

“It turns out that a significant number of people, more than you might think, aren’t in that position – particularly during the current situation with Covid-19.

“It’s a fantastic initiative and as other members of staff have now volunteered to help it’s something we’ll continue to support”.

The first port of call for people in need of hot food support is the Nottingham City Council Golden Line phone number, 0115 915 5555.

Alternatively, Guru Nanak’s Mission in Nottingham can be contacted directly online via their Facebook page here…

Funding donations can be made to the mission here