Bread hero awarded holiday on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway

Sheraz Awan, who owns Westerhope Convenience Store in Newcastle Upon Tyne, was awarded a holiday by singer-songwriter Fleur East live on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway earlier this month. The retailer was given a holiday for four to Florida to honour his incredible commitment to his community, which has seen him donate over 150,000 loaves of bread to locals in need.

“I didn’t really think Ant & Dec would give consideration to someone like me,” Sheraz told Convenience Store. “You get so involved with your work that you don’t really give it a second thought.”

He started giving away bread in March 2020 after an emotional conversation with a local woman in need of help. “I spoke to a lady who could not feed her three kids,” said Sheraz. “I said ‘that will not be happening while I am here running a shop’. That made me evaluate things and I started giving bread out regularly.”

Selfless Sheraz spends between one and three hours a day on the road purchasing bread, which is then left outside his store and collected by local food banks, community kitchens and individuals in need. “Spending hours on end on the road, and your own money on fuel and your own time is not fun, but the end result makes it all worthwhile,” he said. “I give over 1,000 loaves free every week, but there’s been times when we’ve given 1,200 -1,500 loaves in a day.

“It’s a lifeline for some people and that’s why it can’t be stopped.”

Sheraz claimed that demand has doubled since the cost of living crisis and he has appealed to Warburtons to donate loaves from its Newburn Bakery, which is just 10 minutes’ drive away. 

He has also raised awareness of his community work on TikTok and set up a GoFundMe page so that people can make donations.

He encourages other retailers to reach out to locals in need. “You do not know who is suffering or going hungry,” he says. “There’s a million ways you can help your community, but this is what I’m into and this is what I know. Why not start off with putting a couple of trays of bread out and see how it goes?”