Mowgli Street Food launches campaign to support Big i-MRI Appeal

Mowgli Street Food is the newest addition to the foodie scene in Hockley, Nottingham. We were delighted to join the team in their opening week to launch our partnership to raise funds for Nottingham Children’s Hospital!

The restaurant, which opened its doors to the public on Monday 23^rd July, will be fundraising for the Big Appeal, our four-year campaign to raise £4million to enhance treatment, facilities and research at Nottingham Children’s Hospital. The money raised by Mowgli will go towards a new intra-operative MRI machine – also known as an i-MRI – for the Children’s Hospital, which will help paediatric neurosurgeons treat children with brain tumours.

To celebrate the launch of the partnership, Mowgli hosted an event at its new premises, inviting clinical staff from the Children’s Hospital.

The teams from Mowgli Nottingham, NUH Charity and Nottingham Children’s Hospital

Mowgli’s founder and owner, Nisha Katona, was excited to announce the partnership between her restaurant, located on Stoney Street in the City Centre, and Nottingham Children’s Hospital, which is based at the QMC.

She said: “We’re here, at the centre of the Nottingham community, and we want to give our community more than just good food. My team in Nottingham are delighted to be working alongside Nottingham Hospital’s Charity and supporting the fantastic work they do.”

Charitable giving is central to Mowgli’s business model. Each Mowgli restaurant, in Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford Birmingham, and now Nottingham, has its own house charity.

Nisha explains that “It’s great for the staff to know that they are contributing through their work. They’re young, and they work hard, and one day I hope they’ll have restaurants themselves. I want them to develop their own careers understanding that charitable giving needs to be one of the central pillars of business. It just seems like a no brainer for me – I’m not sure why everyone’s not doing it. We’re going to set ourselves a target for the Children’s hospital that will benefit future patients and their families.”

“Charity lies at the heart of Mowgli’s ethos and we are all honoured to be supporting The Big Appeal. There is no doubt in our minds that the QMC and the Children’s Hospital hold a special place in the hearts of people here – they’re totally iconic.”

Stephanie Smith, Clinical Director of the Children’s Hospital, said: “We’re delighted that Mowgli has chosen to support our Big Appeal. Nottingham Children’s Hospital is the leading regional centre for children’s neurosurgery, so it’s fitting that we are forming this partnership with such a renowned restaurant. At the Children’s Hospital, we perform over 1,000 MRI scans each year on young patients, including those with life-threatening brain cancer. The new iMRI machine for which the Mowgli team is fundraising will allow our neurosurgeons to administer the best possible treatment for these children and reduce the likelihood that they will need to undergo further surgery.”

Mowgli will be supporting the Big Appeal by adding a discretionary £1 donation to every bill. At the Liverpool branch, diners have already raised nearly £80,000 via this method!

Susan Littlemore, our Marketing and Communications Manager said: “We’re thrilled to have been selected by Mowgli to become their House Charity. Their £1 donation initiative is a simple but effective way to support our Big Appeal. The money raised by Mowgli diners will help doctors and nurses achieve the best possible outcomes for young people with brain tumours.”