The power of social media has once again been harnessed for a great cause, with Margaret River chef Tony Howell and wife Sarah setting out on a mission over the Gourmet Escape weekend to raise awareness for one of the regions most loved and vital charity organisations. Armed with a River Angels collection can, bearing the iconic blue and white logo, the Howells aimed to score a selfie with as many visiting celebrity chefs alongside the can during the busy weekend. Mr Howell told the Mail that he had a chance to speak to cookbook queen Nigella Lawson at the launch of this years Gourmet Escape. “Last night I was having a chat with Nigella, I told her my wife was sick last year and there is a local organisation called River Angels all run by volunteers,” he said. “Straight away I explained to her that I was trying to get a photo and get a little bit of publicity to showcase the great people who helped us out big time so we can raise some funds and help more families out. “The response was, yep no problems, and Jack Stein said, anything for you mate no problems. “Then Ashley Palmer-Watts last night said, mate I would absolutely love to do it for you.” River Angels Lynda Donovan said the group would benefit from the increased attention. “If it werent for Tony our selfie challenge wouldnt have really taken off,” she said. “Being able to have high profile individuals giving us their support gives us a lot of publicity and raises awareness for those in the community that may need our assistance to come forward and ask for help. “We also hope it encourages people to volunteer with us, whether it be with their time, services or donations. Every little bit helps.” River Angels supports local families coping with cancer, with volunteers offering services like gardening, laundry, cooking and cleaning as well as transport and other essentials during treatment and care. “River Angels was originally set up to give grass roots assistance so the more volunteers we have, means the same volunteers arent doing the all the work,” said Ms Donovan. “Having said that, a lot of people are time poor and are happy to make a donation. “This in itself is a valuable contribution as it allows us to offer more services to our families.” To find out more about how you can help, visit facebook.com/riverangelsMR or call 0403 430 838.

The man armed with a can and a plan | Gourmet Escape

• Nigella Lawson and Tony Howell pose with the River Angels collection can.

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  Curtis Stone (left) with Sarah and Tony Howell late last week.

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  Rick Stein, Tony Howell and Jack Stein were on board with the Howells' plan.

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  Tony Howell with chef Matt Stone

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  Mr Howell poses with the River Angels can and Ashley Palmer Watts of Dinner by Heston.

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  Chef Andrew Wong lent his support to the cause.

The power of social media has once again been harnessed for a great cause, with Margaret River chef Tony Howell and wife Sarah setting out on a mission over the Gourmet Escape weekend to raise awareness for one of the regions most loved and vital charity organisations.

Armed with a River Angels collection can, bearing the iconic blue and white logo, the Howells aimed to score a selfie with as many visiting celebrity chefs alongside the can during the busy weekend.

Mr Howell told the Mail that he had a chance to speak to cookbook queen Nigella Lawson at the launch of this years Gourmet Escape.

“Last night I was having a chat with Nigella, I told her my wife was sick last year and there is a local organisation called River Angels all run by volunteers,” he said.

Chefs Tony Howell and Matt Stone.

“Straight away I explained to her that I was trying to get a photo and get a little bit of publicity to showcase the great people who helped us out big time so we can raise some funds and help more families out.

“The response was, yep no problems, and Jack Stein said, anything for you mate no problems.

“Then Ashley Palmer-Watts last night said, mate I would absolutely love to do it for you.”

River Angels Lynda Donovan said the group would benefit from the increased attention.

“If it werent for Tony our selfie challenge wouldnt have really taken off,” she said.

“Being able to have high profile individuals giving us their support gives us a lot of publicity and raises awareness for those in the community that may need our assistance to come forward and ask for help.

“We also hope it encourages people to volunteer with us, whether it be with their time, services or donations. Every little bit helps.”

River Angels supports local families coping with cancer, with volunteers offering services like gardening, laundry, cooking and cleaning as well as transport and other essentials during treatment and care.

“River Angels was originally set up to give grass roots assistance so the more volunteers we have, means the same volunteers arent doing the all the work,” said Ms Donovan.

“Having said that, a lot of people are time poor and are happy to make a donation.

“This in itself is a valuable contribution as it allows us to offer more services to our families.”

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Margaret River Mail

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