The Little Venice Group of restaurants and Bermuda Gas have cooked up a token of appreciation for essential workers on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment, the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service and medical staff from the Covid-19 test team were presented with $10 vouchers to honour their contributions to the island.

A Little Venice Group spokeswoman said the restaurant chain had dished out meals for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital staff at the peak of the crisis – and now wanted to recognise uniformed services who also worked around the clock.

A Bermuda Gas spokesman said the island had been “ably assisted by several groups of essential workers” through shelter-in-place and the phased recovery.

Major Duncan Simons, the Regiment’s careers management officer, added: “Our soldiers are always touched when their dedication to duty is recognised.

“The RBR has had a tough year with Covid-19 and hurricane embodiments, but has, as ever, stepped up when the country needs them.

“We offer a worthwhile and rewarding experience with good rates of pay and there is another opportunity to join the Regiment next month, with Recruit Camp in February.”

A spokesman for the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service passed on firefighters’ gratitude for the vouchers.

He told the two companies: “The BFRS stands ready 24 hours, seven days a week to serve our community, and thank you for thinking of us during this challenging period.”

Dean Parris, the Covid-19 chief administrator and project manager at the Department of Health, said: "The Ministry of Health would like to thank Bermuda Gas and the Little Venice Group for providing these vouchers.

“The staff who received them greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness of this gesture which went a long way in the team feeling appreciated by the community which they serve.

“They have been working tirelessly over the past several months to ensure the impact of Covid-19 to our island is minimised as much as possible.

“This has meant working extremely long hours – evenings and weekends – to do this work, so it’s wonderful when these efforts are recognised."

Representatives of the two companies handed over the vouchers to the services in a ceremony at Hamilton Fire Station on Monday.

The vouchers can be used at Cafe4, L’Oriental Express, La Trattoria, Little Venice and the L’Oriental restaurant, all in Hamilton.