An award-winning restaurant in Northampton is urging charities to say why they deserve to benefit from a £1,000 donation as it marks 25 years of business in the town centre.
Saffron in Castilian Street is turning 25 later this year and wants to celebrate the anniversary by making the significant donation to a local good cause as part of its commitment to supporting community groups.
Since 2001, Saffron has raised more than £100,000 for charity.
Owner Naz Islam, who has handed the day-to-day running of the restaurant over to his son Nahim, said: “With everything the hospitality industry has endured in recent times, including on-street parking fees and a 40 per cent rise in the cost of spices and raw ingredients in the past three years alone, achieving 25 years in business is something we think is worth celebrating.
“We’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed the support of wonderfully loyal customers for so many years and we have always tried to put community first, giving back wherever we can. It feels only right that we continue that ethos to mark our anniversary.
“We’d love to hear from local good causes who think they could benefit from a £1,000 donation. We’re asking charities to comment on our Facebook page outlining why they deserve our support and what they would do with the money. We’ll then pick a winner and invite them to a special event at the restaurant in September where the money will be handed over.”
Saffron’s Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/saffronnorthampton.
Saffron, which has held a five-star hygiene rating for each of the past 25 years, was crowned the winner of the Restaurant of the Year category at The Bengal’s Pride Awards, held at the House of Commons while the restaurant is also a former winner of the British Curry Awards and Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.
Naz has established a school and orphanage in one of the poorest areas of Bangladesh with the help of his family.
He has worked tirelessly to support Northampton’s growing Bangladeshi community and encourage community empowerment and cohesion, while helping to establish strong links between his homeland and the University of Northampton, where he regularly arranges flag-raising ceremonies to mark the country’s Independence Day and Victory Day to remember the three million fallen heroes of the liberation war of 1971 with the Northampton community.
For more details please visit www.saffronnorthampton.co.uk or call 01604 630800.
