Spennymoor: Students donate to five foodbanks across County Durham

Students from Whitworth Park Academy in Spennymoor have collected several "wheelie bins" worth of food to help support five foodbanks in the area this winter.

Five of the school's year groups helped by taking part in the challenge, filling a wheelie bin for each, as foodbanks continue to face high demand as cold weather hits.

The school worked alongside local housing provider, Livin and Mears Group, who donated an additional £1,000 with their donations.

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Meanwhile, David Stone, headteacher of Whitworth Park Academy, spoke of how proud he was of his students' efforts.

He said: "Once again, I am incredibly proud of the care shown by our children in collecting food for those less fortunate than themselves.

"Despite the difficult times that many people are experiencing at the moment, the children continue to think of others as we continue the run-up to Christmas and are as a keen and enthusiastic as ever to help families in our community who are struggling at this time of year.”

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Adding to this, the students and Livin worked together to create a digital flyer to encourage friends and family to donate to the worthy cause.

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All food donations will be distributed between Shildon Alive, Junction 7 in Newton Aycliffe, St Luke’s Church in Ferryhill, Cornforth Partnership, St Aidan’s Church in Chilton and St Paul’s Centre in Spennymoor.

Alan Boddy, chief executive of Livin, said: “The cost of living crisis has meant foodbanks are now more than ever providing a vital lifeline to support our local communities.

"In these challenging times it’s so heart-warming that we can work with our partners to increase the impact we can make for those who need it most.”