Her Royal Highness Princess Anne paid a visit to the Canvey island branch of the Saint Vincent de Paul last week and presented the group with the Canvey Island Town Council’s Community Group of the Year award.
The local branch of the Catholic anti-poverty charity worked throughout the pandemic to make sure that local communities didn’t go without food, even when the local foodbank was closed.
The group’s president Tony Roche, who had to shield during the pandemic, was instrumental in the efforts to coordinate local groups; all from his bedroom.
This included making sure his colleagues at SVP were working together with a local independent youth charity Yellow Door and overseeing logistics so that food could be transported safely from local supermarkets to local churches and groups who could distribute food parcels.
Among those who helped out with the effort were Wyvern Community Transport, St Joseph’s Roman Catholic School, the Salvation Army and St Nicholas C of E Church.
The owner of London steakhouses Omino Restaurants, Ruth Cezar and her chef husband Eduardo Barsotti also helped out by cooking more than 700 hot meals from their family home. Cezar described it as an “honour”.
On being presented with the award Roche said: “This was a lovely way of saying thank you to all the people who have had a hand in this amazing operation.”
His wife Frances said: “I can’t tell you how much of a unique operation this was and how proud I am of this group, everyone was incredible. To see the whole operation laid out before the Princess was a fantastic moment”
Helen O’Shea, President of the SVP said in a statement: “The group led by the wonderfully humble Tony Roche has come together in the most incredible way to feed those in need in their community.”
Before leaving, Princess Anne was greeted by local school children who belonged to the Minnie Vinnies branch of the charity, and given a bouquet of flowers by Roche’s granddaughter Annie Merrick.
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