Plymouth restaurant's generous donation to National Marine Aquarium
Rockfish has given the money to its neighbour in a bid to help them during the latest lockdown
A Plymouth restaurant has donated £8,000 to its neighbours, the National Marine Aquarium, to help the attraction through this latest lockdown.
Rockfish raised the funds over the six months before lockdown, through their optional £1 table donation from customers.
This brings the total donated to £23,000 in the past twelve months from the popular restaurant, despite the hospitality industry being badly hit by the impact of the pandemic.
"The Aquarium is an iconic part of the Plymouth landscape who do such important work in the community and it is wonderful that we can do something to make a difference, especially during this incredibly challenging year for ourselves and for the Aquarium.
"We want to come out of this alongside our neighbour, the NMA, thriving so it feels particularly important to look out for each other."
Mitch Tonks - Chef and Rockfish owner
In response, Roger Maslin, CEO at the National Marine Aquarium, said:
"We are delighted to receive another generous donation from Rockfish and their customers. We share many of Rockfish's values when it comes to helping preserve the marine environment and their support means we can continue in our vision of creating a healthier Ocean for all.
"One of the biggest challenges that face aquaria at this time, is the ongoing costs of feeding and maintaining the fish and animals. Even when closed to the public, the cost of operating the largest Aquarium in the UK remains up to £10,000 a day. This fantastic donation means we can continue to care for our animals, as well as continue our free education lessons for home schoolers and classes across the UK."
Despite the Aquarium's closure the Ocean Conservation Trust, who run Plymouth's premier marine attraction the National Marine Aquarium, are continuing with their vital education and conservation work; including weekly Ocean school lessons on YouTube and cultivating Ocean habitats in their lab to replant in the Ocean.