First Norwich City Community Heroes of 2020-21

We will be working in partnership with Norwich City this season to celebrate its Community Hero initiative, which once a month highlights a deserving community-minded individual as the ‘Community Hero’ for a selected match day.

For the Preston North End match, Tyrone, 53 and Steven, 37, were nominated for going above and beyond the call of duty during the Coronavirus pandemic, by delivering freshly cooked meals for the vulnerable and homeless in a time of need.

Tyrone owns a clutch of businesses across Great Yarmouth and Caister-on-Sea, including Branford’s Restaurant and Bar and Whelan Bespoke Catering. His outdoor catering company, Whelan Bespoke Catering was able to quickly turn into a takeaway and delivery service for vulnerable people within the local community.

“I looked at what I could do with Whelan Bespoke Catering to help customers that normally come to Branford’s restaurant, and where I could help those in the community – especially those who couldn’t leave their house and who were struggling to get supermarket delivery slots,” said Tyrone.

“We put together a diverse menu of home-cooked meals, cooked fresh that morning and delivered cold for people to freeze or warm up later.”

Tyrone and his large group of volunteers delivered just shy of an incredible 200 meals a week throughout the lockdown period, keeping the community spirit together.

Steven was put on furlough from his role as head chef at Branford’s Restaurant and Bar so was one of the first volunteers to help cook meals.

“I wanted to try and keep a routine throughout lockdown, so volunteering allowed me to do this but most importantly helped those who needed the use of our service,” added Steven. “I stepped in to offer my services and early on we noticed a demand for freshly cooked meals.

“It was a military operation, but we had a great team spirit amongst chefs, delivery drivers and kitchen porters to deliver to everyone within the surrounding areas of Great Yarmouth and Caister-on-Sea.”

Tyrone and Steven were also approached by Great Yarmouth Borough Council after the success of their delivery service to support the council in feeding the homeless who were quickly housed in the town’s hotels and B&Bs after lockdown.

Tyrone continued: “It is incredibly humbling to be nominated and we were over the moon when we found out.

“We didn’t do this for recognition, the idea just evolved, and we were proud to help so many in such a difficult time. I want to thank all the volunteers who supported us along the way, especially my wife Kim, who developed a wonderful relationship with elderly customers by calling them if she didn’t hear from them for a day or two, and organised birthday and anniversary cards to be sent to their homes.”

If there is someone that you think deserves special recognition, whether the individual works in the emergency services, is a carer or charity champion, please nominate them by visiting the Community Hero web page.