Celebrity chef and Save the Children supporter, Ainsley Harriott, was at Paddington Station this morning (16 April) to launch a brand new sandwich which will raise money for the charity.
Thursday 16 April 2009
Schoolchildren from throughout the UK were invited to design a new sandwich to be sold on FirstGroup’s rail franchises, First Great Western, First TransPennine Express and First ScotRail. 10p from the sale of each sandwich will be donated to First’s charity partner, Save the Children. The competition is part of First’s efforts to reassure passengers that the days of the infamous British Rail sandwich are well and truly over.
With a whole host of creative and mouth watering sandwich suggestions to choose from, Ainsley Harriott was faced with a tough job in picking a winner. “We were inundated with entries and many of them were very innovative to say the least,” said Ainsley. “However, I have decided that the chorizo and brie sandwich is the winner. It is unique and really tasty!”
He added: “I am delighted that Save the Children will benefit from the sale of the sandwich. It is a very worthy charity. One in three children are living in poverty in the UK - it’s shocking. The money raised will go towards helping those children in the UK that need it most. It tastes good too.”
Codie Guy (11) from St Mary’s Catholic School in Penzance, Cornwall was the creator of the winning sandwich. She said: “I was very surprised and delighted to have won. It is brilliant to see my sandwich in its packaging and it was great fun meeting Ainsley. I hope everyone loves my sandwich on First’s trains so that lots of money can be raised for Save the Children.”
The sandwich will be available to purchase on board ScotRail services in May and from First Great Western, First TransPennine Express services from June.
Sir Moir Lockhead, Chief Executive of FirstGroup said: “Congratulations to the winner, Codie. As the UK’s largest rail operator, we sell over 760,000 sandwiches every year on board our trains. I am sure the chorizo and brie sandwich will prove popular and will help reassure passengers that the days of the infamous British Rail sandwich are well and truly over.”