A Leicester fish and chip shop is feeding children for free over the Christmas holidays to help families struggling with the cost of living.
Chris’s Fish & Chips in Barwell is stepping in to fill the gap left by free school free as kids break up for Christmas. The full children’s menu is available to choose from including nuggets, sausage, fishcake, fry-its and chips – and the only condition is that youngsters are in attendance, otherwise it’s offered on a no-questions-asked basis.
Owner Strad Strad Kyriacou, comments: “I’m seeing how hard it is right now for families and I can only see it getting worse, so if we can replace the school dinners, it’s something.
“I’m slightly more fortunate than some businesses right now in that my energy bills are still fixed, so this is something I can do. As a community, our customers support us with their custom so we like to support them back when we can.”
Having posted details of the offer on social media just this morning, Strad has already had 26 requests and expects many more between now and schools reopening in January.
Strad adds: “We’re a large village, we have 10,000 people, but we are still a close community. I grew up here, so I know everybody and if I see someone that needs help or who is hungry, I want to help them. I have a shop, I cook fish and chips so I can feed people, I can do that.”
Encouraging other shops to do something similar, Strad adds: “It doesn’t cost the earth and most people won’t take the mickey, I know shops are scared they will, but they won’t. Even if I serve 100 people that aren’t eligible but I serve one that is, then it’s still worth it.
“If you’re thinking of doing some advertising and spending a few hundred pounds, this will cost you a lot less and the fact that you are doing something nice will be appreciated.”
Chris’s has also extended the offer to include anyone struggling or in need of food.
