A Stevenage restaurant is offering its empty premises to the mass vaccination effort as the country pulls together to get the most vulnerable groups immunised as soon as possible.

Angelique, based in High Street, is not alone in its generous offer with many large companies across the country willing to open its doors, including Mecca Bingo.

The steak restaurant, which opened last year, took to Facebook to appeal to the Prime Minister and Stevenage MP Stephen McParland to allow them to help.

It posted: "Dear Boris Johnson and Stephen McPartland,
"We would like to offer our closed upstairs restaurant venue to help with a fast roll out of the vaccine. For free!

Prime Minister We Are In A Race To Vaccinate The Most Vulne (1)
"We have waiting areas, huge refrigerators and freezers, an incredible team who can help and organise and a willingness to come to aide. We want to help. We need to help!"

The Comet: Angelique's Nathan Clark has been in touch with MP Stephen McParland to get the ball rolling on offering up the restaurant as a vaccination hub.Angelique's Nathan Clark has been in touch with MP Stephen McParland to get the ball rolling on offering up the restaurant as a vaccination hub. (Image: Courtesy of Nathan Clark)

Following this, Nathan Clark from Angelique, told the Comet: "Stephen McPartland and council leader Sharon Taylor have pointed me in the right direction and we have been in touch with the relevant people.

"We are so close and have that intimacy with our clients, so knowing that - if we do get chosen - we will be able to help the Stevenage community is the motivation for us.

"We are looking at whether we will be able to close the kitchen and put the takeaway service on hold to give them extra space to give the vaccines

MP Stephen McPartland said: “It is fantastic news that we are leading the way on the vaccine rollout in Stevenage and have been chosen as one of seven hubs in England and we will be delivering over 2,000 injections a day starting Monday.

"We are also incredibly lucky that the Lister Hospital has already delivered over 5,000 vaccines to local people and two of our GP surgeries are also vaccinating at the moment.

"On top of this, we have lots of offers from local companies such as Mecca Bingo across to Angelique restaurant in the Old Town that are offering their premises and resources for vaccine hubs, which shows once again the brilliant community spirit we have here in Stevenage.”