Seaward hotel closes to the public to host Ukrainian refugees
The 54-bedroom Seaward hotel in Weston-super-Mare has closed its doors to customers for the rest of the year to house Ukrainian refugees.
Since the initiative launched last week, 22 refugees have already arrived. Others with children are waiting to get through safe-guarding checks at border control.
Speaking to The Caterer, Alex Demetriou (pictured), managing director of Regency Purchasing Group and the grandson of the hotel owner Nitsa Michael (also pictured above) – who has run the business for 62 years – said: "It's a nice environment, because [the refugees] are using our catering and commercial kitchens to cook for each other and help each other.
"One of the refugees is a schoolteacher, and she's going to assist children who can't get placements in schools with their learning. Hopefully it will create a bit of a community."
The hotel has also opened what Demetriou describes as a "free shop" for refugees, which has an array of toiletries, clothes, snacks, and toys available for collection.
Demetriou announced the scheme on LinkedIn last week in a post that has amassed over 6,000 likes and 90 shares.
He added: "It's been unbelievable. [The post] had over 400,000 hits and the offer of help from so many people, most of them from the industry, has just been beyond overwhelming.
"We're in the fortunate position of being able to reply to everyone and say we don't need any assistance because we covered all the aspects needed. We reached out to our team, Regency Purchasing, who will be arriving on Wednesday with 28 cars of [supplies]."
Demetriou said his grandparents lost their home following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, which made the crisis in Ukraine resonate with the family on a deeper level.
He said: "I remember my grandmother referencing that when they left their homes in 1974, they left with just a bag. They thought they were going back the following day, so they left all their belongings.
"I think that feeling of leaving your home is something that's always stuck in her mind and the thought of people having to go through that same thing 48 years later is beyond sad for her, so she took the opportunity to give back and support."
Over the past 15 years, Demetriou's family has been involved with raising £1.5m for the local community through the Axentis Michael Charitable Trust, which was founded in memory of his grandfather.
He added: "We've already had that charitable aspect to our family business, but [giving the entire hotel to Ukrainian refugees] is probably one of the biggest things we've done."
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