FOOD LOVERS across Oxfordshire with a taste for spice will have the chance to support charity while enjoying a curry tomorrow night.

Some of the county’s leading curry houses will be donating half of all their takings to Oxfam – which will be used to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Restaurants in Oxford, Witney, Burford, Abingdon, Didcot and more were keen to partner up with Oxfam to get involved and show their support.

The curry houses and Oxfam came together after witnessing the plight of Rohingya Muslims who have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

Nearly 370,000 people crossed into Bangladesh in the last four weeks, doubling the number of people seeking refuge in the south east of the country.

The existing camps in Bangladesh are ill-equipped to handle the huge numbers of people who are in need desperate need of shelter, clean water, toilets and food. Women, children, older people and those with disabilities are especially vulnerable. Oxfam initially plans to help 200,000 people.

One of the restaurants taking part on the night is Jee Saheb in North Parade Avenue, North Oxford. Staff at the popular curry house were delighted to get on board.

Owner manager Wayas Ahmed said: "At first a lot of people people did jump when they heard 50 per cent - but something needs to be done and it's something we can help with as a community.

"I think it's a great idea."

Oxfam’s regional engagement manager Ruth Andoh-Baxter added: “We are really grateful to the sponsoring curry houses for this fantastic initiative in aid of Oxfam and our work in Bangladesh.

"It’s great to see the Oxfordshire and the wider community pulling together to help in this way. Supporting Oxfam also means helping to make some truly amazing work possible and the money raised will help some of the world's poorest people change their lives for the better.”

MB Akhter, the interim country director for Oxfam in Bangladesh, described the difficult situation many of the refugees are currently facing.

He said: “People face a desperate situation. They have no clean drinking water and no food. They are homeless and hungry following a long and treacherous journey across the border. Many are now sleeping under open skies, by roadsides and in forests, with no protection.

“People are physically and emotionally traumatised.”

Other curry houses taken part include Curry Paradise in Witney, Dil Raj in Abington, Spice Lounge in Burford, Little India in Didcot, Jaflong in Bicester, and many others.

To see a full list of curry houses across the county taking part go to oxfordmail.co.uk.