Portsmouth FC's Christian Burgess and Sean Raggett volunteer spare time to cook food for vulnerable residents
FOOTBALLERS have swapped training cones and pitches for saucepans and spatulas, as they give their free time to make food for those less fortunate in the city.
From the Enable Ability cafe at Landport Community Centre in Charles Street, Pompey players Christian Burgess and Sean Raggett have been cooking up a storm for residents in need of support during the coronavirus pandemic.
From vegan curries to apple pies, the players have been busy in the kitchen under the watchful eyes of professional chefs from Havant and South Downs College.
Since lockdown began, the cafe has cooked up almost 2,000 meals, distributed to people in the Landport and Charles Dickens area.
Burgess, who has been with the Blues since 2015, has been spending a lot of his free time volunteering across the city, delivering some of the food to struggling households in person.
He told The News: ‘I heard about the cafe through Pompey in the Community and thought it would be a good way to get involved.
‘The football has stopped so all were doing is keeping fit at home – everyone knows what’s going on in the world though.
‘We just want to play our part, but doing this is very rewarding.’
He was joined in the kitchen by fellow defender Raggett, on loan from Norwich City.
Raggett said: ‘I just want to help out where I can.
‘I’m not the best in the kitchen but have been peeling apples – I’m just happy to get stuck in with it.’
The team at Enable Ability say they are ‘hugely grateful’ for the support of not only Pompey, but every businesses that have supported their efforts so far.
Cafe manager Gavin Randell said: ‘People can be referred to us or get in touch directly.
‘This is a terrible situation for everyone at the moment but there are also so many people pitching in to help and that’s really heartwarming.’
Housing provider Radian has provided £2,500 in funding for the kitchen and is helping with deliveries to Portsmouth households.
The cafe has also received support from Yan Woo Chinese, Bransbury Park Butchers and Tesco, among others.
A crowdfunder is also available to keep things going; to donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/eacovid19