" I wanted to reach out and give those people a treat to let them know we are thinking about them."
Waseem Mir - Manager Harbour View
The boss of an award-winning fish and chip restaurant has opened his doors to a group of senior citizens as a special pre-Easter treat.
Waseem Mir manager of The Harbour View Fish and Chip Restaurant in Seaton Sluice contacted Age UK Northumberland in a bid to do his bit to help older people who are socially isolated. The restaurant, voted the fourth best in the UK by Trip Advisor regularly has queues of people waiting for their food but there were no queues for the special guests as the restaurant was opened especially for them. Around 30 people attended and were treated to free fish and chips, tea and mushy peas.
Mr Mir explains why he decided to open his restaurant to the group:
“We get a lot of older people eating with us and most come with family and friends. I am very conscious though that some people are socially isolated and find it difficult to get out and about. I wanted to reach out and give those people a treat to let them know we are thinking about them.”
Those attending were from the Ashington and Bedlington Social Friday Groups and the Knit and Knatter group from Ashington.
Age UK Northumberland is an independent local charity which provides services for older adults throughout Northumberland. The central service at the charity is free information, advice and advocacy; other services are designed to meet local needs and currently include: day care, personal care, exercise and falls prevention classes, lunch clubs and day centres.
Jill Lloyd of Age UK Northumberland was delighted at the hospitality that Harbour View provided: “Many of our group are very elderly and some have lost their partners making socialising very difficult. This was a lovely opportunity to get dressed up and come out to mix with others and enjoy a lovely meal. It was very kind of The Harbour View to look after us.”
The success of the Harbour View Restaurant can be traced back to excellent customer service; a passion for food and a reputation for only serving the best quality produce. Everything is cooked to order and queues often stretch out of the door, indeed, the restaurant has regular customers from Scotland and Yorkshire who visit for their weekly fish and chip tea.
