Blog. Major new benevolent fund launches in support of Hospitality Action.

A new benevolent fund providing unrestricted endowments to the UK hospitality sector’s charity, Hospitality Action (HA), launched last week at a dinner at The Stafford Hotel, London.

The Procter England Bancroft / Hospitality Action Fund has been established by Chief Operating Officer of the Stafford Collection, Stuart Procter; American and UK philanthropist, Lenore England; and Managing Director of Northcote Craig Bancroft to celebrate teams across the Stafford Collection, over many years, and people working in the UK hospitality industry.

The fund will donate an initial £100,000 to HA, with monies going to support the charity’s ongoing efforts to support hospitality people in difficulty or crisis. Procter, England, and Bancroft will then advise on future donations to the charity.

The Stafford Collection’s two hotels and restaurant are regular supporters of HA. Northcote’s annual Obsession chefs’ season has raised £345,000 for the charity since 2009; and The Stafford is a long-time supporter of HA’s ongoing fundraising efforts. Meanwhile, Norma, the collection’s Sicilian restaurant in London’s Fitzrovia, has been a stockist of Invisible Chips since the fundraising campaign’s inception in 2020.

Procter said: “We have set up the fund to support those less fortunate than ourselves. Our goal is to involve our clients, who don’t always meet our superstars, along with hoteliers and restaurateurs who are yet to get involved. We can’t wait to get cracking.”

England said: “I am honoured to work with Stuart and Craig to support people in the UK hospitality industry through challenging times, in current and potential new ways.”

And Bancroft added: “HA is a charity we have all had a long and beneficial relationship with over the years, and the announcement of the Fund is a true honour for me to be a part of. Lenore’s vision and willingness to start such a fund is truly generous and inspiring and we can only hope that such a pledge inspires others to do the same. I sincerely look forward to working alongside Stuart and Lenore in delivering the most effective form of assistance that HA requires to be truly effective in the future.”

HA’s Chief Executive Mark Lewis welcomed the creation of the Fund, saying: “We’re all lucky to be able to take basic requirements for granted: carpets on bare floorboards, a comfortable mattress, food in the fridge, a cooker that works. But for many families, these essentials are out of reach, and that’s where HA comes in. We rely on the generosity of our supporters, and none are more generous than Lenore, Stuart, and Craig. I’m humbled by their support of HA and thank them all for the extraordinary gift of this Fund.”

Since the start of 2020, Hospitality Action has spent over £3.5m on grant-giving and awarded more than 10,000 grants. Its Employee Assistance Programme now supports some 190,000 hospitality professionals.