Russell Brand is donating a not-for-profit cafe he opened last year to a charity which supports ex-prisoners and people struggling with addiction.
The comedian joked that he hoped the move might secure him a “cushy job in the library” if he ever ended up in jail.
The Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust, known as RAPt, described the donation as a “wonderful opportunity” for them to boost their work.
Russell, who is patron of the charity, launched the Trew Era Cafe on the New Era estate in Hoxton, east London, more than a year ago, hailing it as a “fully self-supporting, new economic enterprise”.
The cafe, which fuses the estate’s name with that of Russell’s YouTube show, The Trews, will become one of RAPt’s so-called recovery enterprises, which are staffed and managed by recovering addicts.
David Bernstein, RAPt chairman of trustees, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for RAPt to further strengthen our employment and enterprise activities for ex-offenders and recovering addicts.
“We’re enormously grateful to Russell for his generosity in donating the cafe.”
Russell said: “I’m donating this cafe to RAPt – a great charity that helps prisoners stay clean. If I ever get sent down I hope this’ll mean I get a cushy job in the library.”
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