Warm-hearted Oldham business aims to terminate Covid

It may resemble something from a science fiction film, but Amani Abdul’s 'fogging' machine appears to be helping to terminate COVID and is offering a new hope to Oldham businesses.

The restaurant owner bought the £4,000 piece of kit during the first lockdown after worrying that his own eateries would not be able to open safely without a deep clean.

Now with a base off Featherstall Road North, four employees and an additional machine for smaller buildings, his San-I-Tized business is expecting another upturn just before lockdown is lifted again.

And this time, big-hearted Amani will be donating half of the cost price of all of his jobs to charity Global Relief Trust (GRT), as they bid to tackle poverty here and overseas.

“I expect the kind of standard of service we offer to become the new norm in cleanliness for businesses,” said Amani, who has already given mosques, Sikh temples, synagogues and churches a free cleansing service.

“Sadly, we are not at the end of this pandemic.

"We are here to beat COVID and allow businesses to open again, and are also determined to help those less fortunate.”

As with eatery bosses up and down the country, COVID took a big bite out of Amani’s income and he had to secure everything from new drivers’ insurance to containers to transform his restaurants into fully-fledged takeaways.

But his sharp business acumen meant that Amani saw an opportunity to clean-up by buying the fogging machines, hospital grade liquid and with his Muslim beliefs in mind, alcohol-free sanitising liquid.

He also learned about the cleaning business from scratch, and gained the qualifications required to manage a sanitising service.

Amani found out about GRT after reading the exploits of Hollins-based fundraiser, Afruz Miah.

Through everything from skydiving to running marathons, Afruz has raised over £100,000 for charities during lockdown.

Those good causes include Maggie’s Oldham and local children’s heart charity, Lagan’s Foundation.

Afruz added: “Amani’s entrepreneurial spirit and ability to adapt has to be applauded not least because it is creating jobs for people who may have lost employment due to COVID.

"But his desire to give something back is particularly laudable.

"He has ensured that those using vital public buildings or living in disadvantaged circumstances are being protected and is now helping some of the most vulnerable people in the world with basic necessities such as shelter, food and clothing.”

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.