Usha charity night raises thousands

The event was organised by Burnley Generous Hands – a new community group aimed at helping a variety of causes across the globe and closer to home.

Staff served 211 people on the night and the £7,937 raised – which was also supplemented by a special lunchtime deal and door-to-door collections – will now go to Muslim Charity who will use the money to send aid to refugees fleeing Myanmar.

Ibby Ali, Usha owner and founder of Burnley Generous Hands, said: “It was a fantastic night. I can’t believe how much we raised.

“I was thinking we would raise £500 at first; then I thought, actually we should be able to raise around £2,000 to £3,000. I can’t believe we have ended up with nearly £8,000. It’s incredible and I would like to thank everybody who has helped.

“We had some guest speakers on the night and it’s good because it has raised a lot of awareness which is what I was hoping for. I have had people ringing me up asking me if there is anything they can do to help and that can only be good.”

A spokesman for Muslim Charity said: “Through the amount raised we will be able to continue providing life-saving emergency aid and long-term support for the Rohingya Muslims who have arrived in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in recent weeks.

“This generous amount is a testament to the lovely people of Burnley and their commitment to humanity.”

Ibby has stressed that Burnley Generous Hands is a group not tied to any particular cause or faith. It wants to help as many people as possible, wherever or whoever they are.

“We are not concentrating on one charity. We want to help anybody and everybody, people who really need it.

“We are going to reach out now. We are only a small organisation but we want to grow. We are looking at doing some things locally. Homelessness is one project we are going to be focusing on in the coming months.

“I am also hoping to get more restaurants and takeaways involved who are able to help.”