National KP Day: Winterhalter donates £500 to Springboard

The first National KP Day, held on 22 June, was a resounding success, with Winterhalter donating £500 to the Springboard charity.

Winterhalter offered to donate £1 to the Springboard charity for every picture of a KP tweeted with the hashtag #kpday.

Staff at the Grand Hotel Eastbourne were among those who had a lot of fun with the event, posting photos including one of a teddy bear in goggles about to get showered in their pass-through warewasher!

Yesterday Stephen Kinkead, managing director of Winterhalter, presented a cheque for £500 to Anne Pierce, chief executive of the Springboard charity, and said: "Having set up the KP of the Year Awards, and seen the fantastic reaction they get from the industry, we thought National KP Day would be a good idea.

Stephen Kinkead and Anne Pierce

"The chefs and their brigades certainly rose to the occasion and grabbed the chance to have a bit of fun, raise some much-needed cash for a very worthy charity, and keep up the work of raising the profile of hard-working KPs everywhere."

Pierce agreed: "The KP of the Year competition is a brilliant way to raise the profile and showcase the vital contribution that KPs make. The photos also proved that the industry is populated by many KPs with outstanding personalities‎.

"As the beneficiary charity for this excellent initiative, the funds raised will go towards our activities encouraging more people into the industry by the KP route."

There's still time to enter the KP of the Year Awards, which this year feature over £10,000 worth of prizes. Click here to nominate your KP.

To see more of the KP images go to www.kpoftheyear.com

Springboard is the charity that helps disadvantaged people find work in the catering industry. Click here for more information.

Valerja, KP at the Chesterfield hotel

Hywel, KP at Coast