Bristol chefs fundraise for India coronavirus crisis

Chefs and community groups are cooking meals to help raise money for the relief effort in India.

More than 226,000 people have died in a devastating second wave of Covid partly due to shortages of medical supplies.

To date Bristol group 91 Ways to Build a Global City has cooked 220 meals and raised £2,500 in its first week.

Volunteer Kalpna Woolf said one of their meals not only raises funds but also "creates a connection between people".

She continued: "I always say that when you give a plate of food to somebody it's a hand of friendship.

"It's a way of connecting and it's a way of starting a conversation."

The group said it had been well-supported by residents along Julian Road and NHS staff from the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

Ms Woolf said in India people live with their families and extended families which makes social distancing difficult.

"By not social distancing, the virus it just runs through families and that's why we're seeing devastation not just from one person dying in a family but whole families being affected," she continued.

The group hopes to cook on a weekly basis to continue raising money during the ongoing crisis.

The money is being given to the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) which aims to collect £500,000 to provide oxygen supplies to patients, food to those who cannot work due to Covid, and medical expertise to health professionals in India.

Ms Woolf said they chose BAPIO because it was able to get supplies on the ground quickly.

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