The West Tooting branch of Sam’s Chicken, owned by former Essex and England cricketer Ravi Bopara, is to give free food to NHS workers as a token of gratitude for their efforts in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bopara publicised the move on Twitter. “Dear NHS staff, your chicken is on me for your hard work in these tough times,” he tweeted.

Dear NHS staff, your chicken is on me for your hard work in these tough times. ? pic.twitter.com/blBwedX0fI

— Ravi Bopara (@ravibopara) March 23, 2020

Bopara opened the shop in 2012. “I remember when I was about 14 and I said to my mates that we’re going to own a chicken shop one day because all we used to eat was chicken, so we wanted to sit and eat our own chicken without having to pay for it,” he said in 2014.