Torch Relay service tops hotel career

 
 




A chef has revealed that serving hungry Olympic fans on the Torch Relay route on behalf of The Salvation Army means more to him than a former career in a national hotel chain.

Matt Griffiths, 33, a member of Cradley Heath Salvation Army, West Midlands, turned his back on a decade-long career in the hotel trade to take a cook’s role at the church and charity six years ago.

Supported by father Geoff, he braved the weather to serve hot refreshments from 6am on Stratford Road, Sparkhill, as the Olympic Torch left the Second City.


The Griffiths estimate to have served up close to 300 hot drinks and rolls during the course of their three-hour stint.

Matt says: “This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we are pleased to have seen the Olympic Torch pass by and have a chance to serve people of all ages and backgrounds. That is what The Salvation Army is all about.”

“I believe it’s better to work for a purpose and to make a difference than to do so for profit. I always wanted to do something that was worthwhile. Being at The Salvation Army allows me to do that. I really looked forward to today, I thought it would be great fun and it was. If I had my time over again, I would have come straight to this kind of work and not to the hotel business.”

“Considering how early the torch came by, we were surprised by the turnout,” adds Geoff. “Many of those who came were really happy to see us and appreciated the chance to get something hot. It was a really cold morning!”

The Salvation Army has had a presence at several stages of the Torch Relay over the weekend.

On Sunday 1 July, its brass band from Willenhall entertained relay watchers in Wolverhampton city centre. Hours later, free refreshments were distributed in Oldbury town centre by members of the church in Dudley.

“It is important for us to be present at events like this because it is all part of being in community,” said Major Adrian Stringer, who leads The Salvation Army’s Community Services across the West Midlands. “We have a long history of providing practical support to people who are vulnerable or in need in every community. I am sure that we have built on that history today.”

The Salvation Army has a strong presence in the Birmingham area, which includes an Aston youth centre, a city centre based men’s residential centre, church and drop-in centre for asylum seekers/refugees and a job creation scheme in Nechells.

A presence on the Torch Relay route is not The Salvation Army's only link with the Olympics. The Salvation Army’s Hadleigh Farm in Essex has been chosen as the site for the mountain biking competition in the London Olympics. A factor in this is because it fulfils the requirements to be a technically challenging course. The terrain is hilly with open grass land covered by low shrubbery.

The site offers some fantastic gradients for mountain biking, great viewing opportunities for spectators, and is set against the backdrop of the 700-year-old ruins of Hadleigh Castle.