One of the Midlands’ best-known restaurants has pledged to help the region’s hard-working carers enjoy a well-earned night out by signing up to a national discount card.
Shalimar Gold, an Indian fine-dining restaurant which has served customers in Derby for nearly 40 years, has joined the growing list of outlets to offer money off through the Blue Sky Social Care card.
The deal will see card-holders, which include both paid and unpaid carers, as well as volunteers, enjoy 20% off the cost of food at the restaurant, in Midland Road.
It is the latest restaurant to have pledged to support the card, following in the wake of Oodles Wok and Bistrot Pierre, while other branches of well-known brands, including Nandos, Starbucks and Burger King have also given discounts to card-holders.
The Blue Sky Social Care card was officially launched last year by Derby-based Blue Sky Brokers, a not-for-profit organisation which offers advice to disabled people on all aspects of direct payment and independent living, and is the only card of its type to benefit millions of carers from right across the social care sector.
It can act both as an employee or carer ID badge and as a discount card, offering perks and money-off deals for all social care staff and their employees at a range of well-known names on the High Street.
Blue Sky Brokers is part of the nationwide charity Disability Direct and launched the card after seeing a gap in the market for a discount card which can be carried by carers from right across the spectrum.
Since its launch it has become one of the most sought-after forces and frontline cards in the UK and has been endorsed by ITV Good Morning star Kate Garraway, who cared for her husband, Derek Draper, for four years before he died from COVID last year.
It has been adopted by a growing number of carers organisations and employers, including Sure Healthcare and the National Association of Care and Support Workers.
Raj Johal, executive director of Blue Sky Brokers, said: “Being able to offer our cardholders meaningful financial benefits to carrying a Blue Sky card is vitally important, and so we’re hugely grateful to Shalimar Gold for offering such a generous discount.
“There are so many carers who have dedicated their lives to looking after other people and who do so without any expectation of any thanks of recognition, so anything we can do to benefit them does make a difference.
“Since launching the Blue Sky Social Care card, we have been contacted by countless carers who tell us how much they appreciate being able to get money off at their favourite shop or restaurant, so discounts like this really do make a huge difference.”
Shalimar Gold’s owner, Mahmood Akhtar, who founded his fine-dining restaurant in 1984, said: “We’re very happy to extend the range of discounts we offer to include Blue Sky Social Care Card holders too.
“We have had quite a few people coming to the restaurant asking if we accept the card and now they keep coming back to us, so signing up to the card has been good for us and for our customers too.”
Louise Moss, CEO of Disability Direct, added: “The Blue Sky Card Card is going from strength to strength, thanks to the generosity and co-operation of organisations like Shalimar Gold joining the scheme.
“Restaurants are now contacting us asking to get involved and it’s exciting to see the opportunities that are being created for our card-holders both locally and nationally.”
It costs £5 to register for a Blue Sky Social Care Card and to find out more visit https://blueskycard.uk
