Queens Hotel in Southsea offers NHS workers place to stay and pamper packages

Duty manager Megan Lockyer has been working with the hotel’s team who have welcomed NHS workers to the hotel for a place to rest away from their jobs to put together hampers full of practical and luxury toiletry items.

Megan put out a post on the Portsmouth Coronavirus Support Group on Facebook asking members to support her idea.

She said: ‘I’ve watched the NHS workers come back to the hotel after a challenging day and I really wanted to let them know how much we appreciate what they are doing.

‘I came up with the idea of making hampers for the NHS workers who are currently with us at the hotel.

‘I shared my idea with the Facebook group and it was amazing how the community responded.

‘The NHS staff had told us how sore their hands were due to constant washing and we were able to include aloe vera hand cream along with items such as face masks, relaxing bath gels, slippers and easter eggs.’

In total they were able to create 17 hampers and these were left in the NHS workers rooms as a nice surprise after they returned from their shift.

The hotel’s managing director Farid Yeganeh said: ‘I am delighted the small team we have working at the hotel to ensure it is clean and safe for our NHS guests, have been able to show their appreciation in this way.’

The hotel has also been working alongside Portsmouth Hive, with the help of Brasserie Blanc’s head chef, Anghel Niko Nedelcu and the Royal Beach’s head chef, Paul Playford, to cook up to 600 meals per week to be distributed to vulnerable people around the city.

The initiative has already received a £3,000 anonymous donation, as well as a donation of 40 kilograms of chicken from Osborne Road butchers, Buckwells.

Farid said: ‘I have always been aware that we have a really special team working at the hotel and this just underlines it. I look forward to being able to welcome back the whole Queens Hotel team once the lockdown is over.’