A local food bank charity is pleading for donations with the number of Swindon residents using their services hitting a record high.

With the cost-of-living crisis intensifying by the day, Swindon Food Collective has opened more distribution centres to help reach more people in the town.

But they are struggling with supplies because donations have dropped by a third - meaning they have bought supplies themselves.

However, the scale of the problem goes nationwide after the Trussell Trust announced that 1.3 million emergency parcels have been given to people in hunger over just six months.

Cher Smith, Swindon Food Collective manager said: “We have had an increase of a third in our figures from November 2021 to November this year. Donations are down so we’re actually giving out more food than we are getting in at the moment and that means that we are having to go out and buy food.

“Those purchases are supported at the moment by grants from stores like Asda, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco which is brilliant. The customers of those supermarkets are being very generous in school holidays, the run up to Christmas and during harvest.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to meet the need because it’s getting worse as the years go on and that is why we have opened up more centres where the postcodes come up which means we are taking the food to the people so they don’t have to travel.

“Since June we have opened three new centres at St Timothy's Church in Liden, Church of Christ the Servant in Abbey Meads and St Margaret's Centre in Stratton St Margaret. It’s ridiculous that we’ve had to open more places in such a short space of time but the need is there so we had to.

“We need to get the message out there that this is also for people who are working as well but are struggling because you don’t have to suffer.

“Regardless of whether you’ve had an extra bill like a rise in mortgage payments or you don’t get sick pay when you’re ill then you’re eligible for a referral through Citizens Advice or the Emergency Assistance team at Swindon Borough Council, you don’t have to be a tennant of theirs to apply.    

“We’re happy to accept food of any brand as long as it’s in date so it can be any stores’ home brand products to fill our food boxes.”

More information on how you can help Swindon Food Collective can be found on their website: www.swindonfoodcollective.org/ .