Andaz Liverpool Street awarded for training the homeless as chefs

The five-star, 267-bedroom Andaz Liverpool Street hotel has been recognised for training the homeless to be chefs.

It has been presented with the Social Inclusion award by the City of London Corporation for one of the Lord Mayor's Dragon Awards. Set up 26 years ago, the awards are the longest running scheme to highlight Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives run by businesses across Greater London.

The Andaz hotel runs workshops and work placement in its kitchen to help disadvantaged people kick start a career in hospitality, in partnership with Providence Row, an East London charity that has been helping the homeless for 150 years.

Since 2011, 24 out of 31 people have completed the scheme, five have moved into paid employment, four have gone on to accredited training and six have undertaken further volunteering.

Michael Oliver, photographed here, is one of the recruits who use to sleep directly outside the Andaz hotel.

Another recruit to the work placement programme is Majdop Sadiq, who was seriously ill with tuberculosis and had been homeless for a year after fleeing persecution in Darfu, Sudan, when Providence Row found him.

"I love cooking and Providence Row offered me the opportunity to be one of the volunteer staff in the kitchen," he said. "Through them, I've met many professional chefs and improved my catering skills, In the future I'd love to work as a chef."

London hotels support local charities to help the homeless >>