THREE Hexham restaurants came together to provide hot meals for NHS staff at Hexham General Hospital.

Chinese restaurant the Golden Dragon, on Battle Hill, joined with Pizza Pizza and tapas bar Cilantro to provide meals for 40 staff working last Thursday.

The donation was timed to coincide with the ‘clap for carers’ campaign at 8pm.

Wil Cheung, the owner of the Golden Dragon, was behind the idea, and explained why he had decided to provide the staff with food.

He said: “My friend works at the hospital, and she said she’d seen that other hospitals had been given meals, but being a smaller place they hadn’t had as much support, so I really wanted to do something to help.

“She’s really scared for what’s going to happen. They know it’s coming, and they’re the soldiers now. We have to rally around them and support them where we can and do what we can. It’s so important.

“Everybody else just has to stay at home, but these guys are right in it.”

The restaurant is also offering NHS staff 30 per cent off takeaway meals during the crisis.

Wil was also quick to praise the other restaurants for getting involved.

He continued: “I knew that a few more places were still open, so I contacted Nabs Aziz at Cilantro and the guys at Pizza Pizza.

“I said I wanted to supply the hospital staff with food and they were like absolutely, there was no hesitation.

“Nabs said he had wanted to do something but wasn’t sure how to do it.

"We provided 40 meals between the three of us – the hospital staff hadn’t been expecting three different cuisines!

“Community is so important. We have to do what we can within the restrictions. There’s no doubt everyone wants to help but we don’t want to be the problem.

“We have to think as clearly as possible.”