The Royal London Hospital in particular has worked hard to care for the local community, which includes several BAME communities which have been adversely affected by the
spread of coronavirus.

In recognition of their extraordinary work, Ismaili Civic East London identified three sites within the Trust,  the Royal London Hospital, the Ambrose King Health Centre and the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health Centre, to receive 500 servings of biriyani made using a special East London Jamatkhana recipe.

By partnering with the Barts Health Wellbeing team, Ismaili Civic volunteers delivered the branded take-home packs in conjunction with the catering specialist Emmdees of  Dudley. A total of 400 chicken biriyani and 100 vegetarian biriyani packs were delivered one crisp March morning to the delight of frontline staff.

"Thank you so much for arranging the delicious food. It was such a morale booster! And much more tasty than my dry sandwich (again)." Doctor, Royal London Hospital

Many of the staff involved in the fight against Covid-19 were drafted-in from other parts of the Trust. The Ismaili Civic East London team thought it was important to recognise these staff members too for their adaptability, resilience and hard work. 

"Your food was much appreciated. It was a very kind gesture. We need many more thoughtful souls like yourself." Nurse practitioner, Royal London Hospital

Since the day of the donation, personal messages of thanks from appreciative staff have poured in together with requests for the secret recipe! Ismaili Civic East London view this as the first of other projects with St Barts NHS Trust, and are currently discussing other ways that Ismaili Civic can support.

If you’d like to get involved, please register as an Ismailli Civic volunteer through IIUK.org.