Birmingham hospital charity and Michelin Star chefs host fine-dining lunch for military patients and families

Former multi-award-winning Chef, Matt Davies is teaming up with Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity to host a special charity lunch at Fisher House, the charity’s military home away from home. Michelin Star Chef’s Luke Tipping (Simpson’s Birmingham) and Jonathan Howe (Lumiere Cheltenham) will be preparing the 4-course lunch for military patients and their families currently staying at Fisher House.

Seven years ago, Matt suffered severe burns whilst at work and lost the use of his left arm. He was treated by Burns and Plastics Surgeon, Colonel Mark Foster at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and has continued to receive excellent care. Matt is extremely grateful to the wonderful team who have looked after him throughout his treatment journey and started fundraising for the hospital charity as a way of saying thank you and giving something back.

After various treatments and nearly 70 operations, Matt made the brave decision to have his left arm amputated earlier this year. He said, “This year has been such a horrific year of plastic surgery for myself, which has resulted in the life-changing decision to go through amputation of my dominant left arm and hand.”

This is the second charity lunch Matt has organised at Fisher House and it follows on from the hugely successful Great Brummie Menu event which took place in May. Both events saw local Michelin Star Chefs come together to host a fine-dining experience to raise money for Fisher House. Matt added, “After my surgery, it was so important for me to cook once again with my Michelin Star Chef friends, and I am so lucky to be able to combine my love for cooking with my beloved charity work. Although I have suffered a severe amputation, my personal story continues, and I want to give my heartfelt gratitude to the military surgeons who have saved my life yet again. By hosting this charity lunch, I can continue to help support Fisher House and this means the world to me.”

Fisher House provides a safe and calm space for families to spend time together, away from the clinical environment of the hospital. It is just a 5-minute walk away from the hospital, meaning families can be close to their loved ones without the stress of having to travel every day or find somewhere nearby to stay. Since learning about Fisher House and the important work it does, Matt decided to start fundraising for the hospital charity to help support military families in need.

Fisher House is funded by Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity and relies solely on its incredible supporters to continue providing free accommodation to families. It costs £40 a night to host a military family in their time of need and since it opened its doors in 2013 the house has supported over 7,000 families and provided over 40,000 nights of accommodation.