'Pay it forward' post inspires 100 free meals

Peter Dutch, chief executive of Colchester Anti Loo Roll Brigade, said he was grateful for the generous donations

A cafe owner said an unexpected donation by an elderly diner had led to hundreds of pounds worth of free meals being gifted within just 24 hours.

Peter Dutch, chief executive of Colchester Anti Loo Roll Brigade, which runs a community centre and cafe in the Essex city, said a customer had donated enough money to pay for three meals for others when he ordered a hot drink and a slice of cake for himself.

A social media post about the kind act led to more than £600 being donated by people wanting to "pay it forward".

"It was such a lovely thing and we did a little post to say how marvellous it was and it inspired more kindness," Mr Dutch said.

He said the donations were enough to feed about 100 people.

"It has already allowed us to help a few families who are struggling. We've managed to make sure they get hot meals."

Colchester Anti Loo Roll Brigade helped deliver food to NHS workers in the coronavirus pandemic

Colchester Anti Loo Roll Brigade started as a Facebook group to help people find essential items that were out of stock in supermarkets during the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020.

Three years later, the organisation took on the lease of a purpose-built community centre in Stanway, near Colchester.

Mr Dutch said he did not expect the group to grow as big as it has.

"There was never any end goal," he continued. "It was purely just a knee-jerk reaction to support the local community in what was an extremely tough time.

"I thought me and a few mates might do a bit of shopping for some elderly people for a few months and then we'd all go back to normal."

He hopes the centre will soon launch a community garden and allotment alongside a charity that provides mental health support to local armed forces veterans.

As a community interest company, all the centre's profits are spent on projects in the Colchester area.