Slowly but surely the hospitality industry is restarting after the pandemic. Like everyone, especially those whose livelihoods directly depend on the sector, we hope the easing of restrictions will be permanent.

As we return to eating, drinking and socialising away from home, we should remember the hardship that many people in hospitality have faced and will continue to face, be that for health, financial or many other personal reasons. Hospitality Action offer a range of services for those people who have fallen on hard times including grants, as well as support services . Every pound raised is put to good use. With jellybean as an official sponsor of their latest fund raising initiative Hell & Back, myself and 16 other keen beans have pledged to run, walk, cycle and hockey our way to 535 miles. In doing so we are helping HA hit their 30,000-mile target.

So, between 10th – 18th June I will be running a half marathon and competing in two games of hockey, all of which will be recorded on Strava and added to the totaliser. It’s not just the hospitality industry that is now restarting, community sport is making a welcome restart too. At the weekend I completed my first hockey training match in nearly four months, today my body already feels like it’s already been to hell and back. So, some much needed conditioning and training is needed between now and June to help ensure I and the team achieve the distance. It’s a challenge we all relish because it’s for such a good cause. Wish us luck.

If you’d like to show your support for team “It’s Bean Emotional” and for hospitality, please take a look at our page here – umbali.org/challenge/its-bean-emotional.