The #PayItForward campaign is in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and recent government advice to stay away from bars and restaurants. Encouraging the people of Greater Manchester and further afield to buy discounted vouchers at participating restaurants between now and Easter with a view to redeem the vouchers from May onwards. Each voucher that is purchased, the restaurant will be donating £1 to Hospitality Action, a charity that is offering vital assistance to all who work within hospitality in the UK. The initiation has been launched by Roland Dransfield from Manchester PR agency and Greater Manchester Night Time Economy Adviser Sacha Lord. The campaign is backed by Northern Restaurant and Bar (NRB), chef Aiden Byrne, Manchester Hoteliers’ Association, Manchester Hospitality Network and more.

We're a city that dances on tables, not hides under them We're a city that parties, not parts ways. Manchester.  We've got you. 

Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester Night Time Economy Adviser, said: “I’ve spoken to the Mayor, and whilst people should heed official Government advice and take the necessary precautions, we also want people to continue to enjoy the night time economy. “#PayitForward will encourage people to consider how badly some of our city’s best-loved hospitality institutions are suffering currently, and to support them when they most need it.” Specific discounts will be determined by each individual restaurant or hospitality company and will be promoted on their websites and social media accounts. Customers will be able to view the full list of participating venues on a dedicated website, www.pay-it-forward.co.uk.

Thom Hetherington, CEO of Northern Restaurant & Bar (NRB), said: “Manchester’s hospitality industry has been at the forefront of the city’s recent renaissance, feeding and watering its residents and workers whilst attracting visitors by the millions.

“The threat it faces, with Covid-19 and the resultant government interventions compounding an already challenging trading environment, is existential, so we at NRB will fully back any initiative that will help Mancunian bars and restaurants weather this particular storm.”

Mark Lewis, CEO, Hospitality Action, said: “The value of this fantastic initiative is two-fold: first, it’ll give the public a whole new means of supporting the city’s hospitality operators, who are taking such a devastating hit to trading; and second, it’ll create much-needed funds for us to help hospitality people in difficulty or crisis.”

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