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Tottenham open stadium to NHS to help the fight against coronavirus

PA
PA

Tottenham are the latest Premier League club to offer their stadium to the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.

Watford have already offered Vicarage Road to the National Health Service, while the Millennium Hotel, part of the concourse at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, is being used to house NHS staff, at the expense of owner Roman Abramovich, for at least two months.

Spurs have been in discussions with Haringey Council, the Greater London Authority and the NHS about using their state-of-the-art 62,062-capacity ground during the pandemic.

From Monday, the stadium's basement car-park is being used as a storage facility for a scheme to ensure London's most vulnerable people have food supplies during the pandemic and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said it was "just the start of what we can do as a club to assist".

Stratford Velodrome, London Aquatics Centre and Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre will also be used during the crisis, which has seen all sport shutdown.

A statement on Spurs website said: "As a starting point, the stadium’s basement car park is being used as a storage base by the London Food Alliance – a new scheme set up to ensure food supplies for the most vulnerable people within the capital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It has been set up by the capital’s three largest food surplus distributors — The Felix Project, FareShare and City Harvest — to pick up nutritious surplus food from suppliers and deliver it in bulk to community hubs in each London borough.

"Each Borough Council is creating hubs to receive the surplus food, divide it into food parcels and deliver them to the doorsteps of vulnerable Londoners – our stadium will be one of two hubs used by Haringey, alongside Alexandra Palace.

"Boroughs are in touch with local charities, foodbanks and community centres, as well as the Government, to ascertain who is most vulnerable and in need."

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Levy said: "As a Club, we have always been clear about our commitment to the wider community – never has this been more important than it is now.

"We are immensely proud of the efforts of everybody involved in the fight against COVID-19 and see today as just the start of what we can do as a Club to assist."

Spurs donated all surplus food and drink intended for at their postponed fixture against Manchester United to The Felix Project earlier this month.

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