AN INDIAN restaurant is to hold a fundraising meal in aid of the City of York Afghanistan Memorial Appeal.

The Parvin Restaurant, in York Road, Haxby, will hold the event on the evening of Tuesday, February 22.

Owner Safiquer Rahman said the appeal to create a memorial to York servicemen killed in Afghanistan was a worthy cause and he wanted to do his bit to help achieve the target of £200,000.

He said he would charge £19.95 per head for the five-course meal, with half the proceeds going to the appeal.

“We have a capacity of 80, so we could perhaps cater for 160 during the evening, raising an excellent sum for the memorial.”

Mr Rahman said he also wanted to invite the Lord Mayor of York, councillors and MPs.

People can dine between 5pm and 11pm and tables can be booked in advance by phoning 01904 758864 or 01904 764340.

The appeal, which is being co-ordinated by The Press, the Army, City of York Council, York Minster Stoneyard and York Civic Trust, has the backing of the families of the three York servicemen who have died in Afghanistan.

It aims to fund a new permanent memorial in the city centre listing the names of all York servicemen who have died and the regiments associated with the city who have fought in Afghanistan. The memorial will supplement a memorial stone, situated in the Memorial Gardens to all victims of the Afghanistan campaign.

The Press has made a donation of £1,000 to get the ball rolling and cheques from readers are continuing to arrive daily, taking the total raised to date to more than £2,500.

One “old soldier of the 1940s and 1950s,” who said he could still remember the sand of the desert, has given £100, saying: “Well done, brilliant idea.”

Another donor wrote: “Having been recently bereaved myself, I know how comforting any type of tribute can be to those who are left.”

Another, a “proud Brit of 76 years” from Haxby, who served in the RAF in the 1950s, said: “To the bravest of the brave. God bless you all and good luck.”

• To donate to the appeal, you can send cheques payable to The City of York Afghanistan Memorial Appeal to Mike Laycock, The Press, 76-86Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN.