A Leytonstone restaurateur is to set up a charitable trust that will help smaller charities in the local area with quick cash

Shah Ahmed, who runs the Star of India in Leytonstone High Road, is to set up the Star Trust, which has already begun raising , and in turn it will pass them on to local charities.

Mr Ahmed said: “It started as a way of increasing money to be given to charities.

“We've had curry and quiz nights and fashion shows but we wondered how much we're helping the community which is why we're raising the money.”

The idea of the Star Trust is that it will hold fund raising events over the course of the year and local charities can then apply for part of the money raised.

“It's not about take, take, take, it's about give, give, give,” Mr Ahmed said.

“It will be registered and will have a group of trustees. We've got about seven or eight people who are to be involved.”

Local causes will then fill out a simple form and the trustees will carry out their own checks and verifications to speed up the process of donation.

Charities will be able to able for amounts up to about £1,000 for one-off costs and will also be able to apply for support loans to help cover costs while they wait for other grants.

Mr Ahmed added: “When you apply for funding, it can be months before you hear back and then even more before you're given the money.

“The idea is that if somebody needs money now, we give them money now.”

So far, about £4,000 has been raised through various events but the process of applying for funding has yet to begin.

Mr Ahmed and his fellow trustees will begin the process of becoming a register charity this autumn and hope to begin distributing funds early in the new year.