The Gulshan restaurant in Tynemouth has raised over £20,000 for Cash for Kids North East.
The money was raised through the 'pound on the bill' scheme, as well as hosting a charity night at their establishment.
Owner Suff Rahman, who has been based in Tynemouth since 2015, has spearheaded the push for funding, after being approached by regular customer Lisa Fox, who is the charity fundraising executive at Cash for Kids North East.
Suff was instantly on board with the idea, especially after learning that 96p of every pound given to Cash for Kids North East goes to supporting young people living in poverty in our region.
The 'pound on the bill' scheme is the first way that Suff decided to raise money. This involves adding a pound to the bill of every customer who dines at Gulshan, which can be optionally removed if preferred.
Through Gulshan's customers, almost £15,000 was raised for Cash for Kids North East. This wasn't enough for Suff however, as he came up with another idea to raise further money for the worthy cause.
He decided, with the help of his staff, to host a charity night, which saw Gulshan guests enjoy a meal at the restaurant while giving money to Cash for Kids North East.
The event also had guests participate in a raffle to win prizes, which included a signed Newcastle United shirt kindly donated by coach Graeme Jones, signed Sam Fender albums and a coffee machine that had been brought in to the event.
Suff Rahman has talked about the money that has been raised and his reasons for doing so.
"We have been supporting Cash for Kids for over a year now and have been delighted to raise over £20,000 for this fantastic cause.
"The whole team at the restaurant is passionate about Cash For Kids and the work they do across the North East. We know times are challenging right now for many families in our community, so hopefully, our Charity Night can help in some way to provide support to those struggling.
"I lost my mother a year and a half ago, and she was so charitable and giving, so I feel like this is a good way to honour her. She always encouraged me to help people if I was in a position to do so."
Cash for Kids North East raises money to support children experiencing poverty, abuse, neglect and distress across our region. Every penny raised stays in the North East, and every donation is important in the midst of the Cost of Living crisis.
Lisa Fox has offered her thanks to Suff and the team at the Gulshan for the work that they have done.
"It's terrific for us to have the continued support of Suff and the team at Gulshan. They have raised an incredible amount of money for us.
"We guarantee every pound donated will stay in the area and go towards helping families during the current cost of living crisis. Cash for Kids would like to thank Gulshan for holding this event for us; it was a huge success."
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