Darlington's Akbar the Great opens its doors to homeless

Abu Raihan, newly-appointed owner of Akbar the Great on Bondgate, Darlington, hosted a Christmas dinner for those who would have spent the day on their own.

With volunteers coming from as far as Barnard Castle to help serve the food, the restaurant was adorned with Christmas decorations and festive music was played to give guests a family-feel.

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Mr Raihan hailed the day as a success, with the restaurant staying open longer to accommodate guests.

He said: "It felt like a little Christmas gathering - like we were in mum’s dining room.

“Everyone was mingling with each other and you could see from people’s faces that they had had a good time.

“Some people baked cakes, people came to help with the food and put together gift bags. Estabulo donated 25 sleeping bags to give out. The whole community got together and it was a great event."

Mr Raihan and his team, who took over the restaurant at the beginning of December, stepped in to help nearby food business Mango Bean who have held the event in previous years.

Zak Ahmed, who works at Mango Bean, said: "All the credit goes to those guys. They had only two weeks to plan the day and everything came off great. They really brought everyone together."