AN initiative that will give people the chance to donate to a local foodbank each time they shop has been launched in a Swindon food store, to meet the growing demand for emergency food packages throughout the country.

The scheme has been incorporated by The Midcounties Co-operative store on the High Street and comes as statistics show that more than 900,000 people turned to food banks in the past year.

Dedicated in-store bins have been introduced at the checkout, to encourage people to donate an item from their own shopping to the food bank, which provides much-needed support to people in the Swindon area.