Food bank use breaks record in South West

More people than ever across the South West accessed food bank parcels last year, according to the Trussell Trust.

Almost 3 million parcels were handed out across the UK, with 255,000 provided by food banks here,.

92,000 of those were distributed to children.

The Trussell Trust has called on political parties to commit, ahead of a general election, to tackling the problem, urging them to back a "supportive social security system" and better support for parents, carers and people with disabilities who can face increased living costs.

Emma Revie, its Chief Executive, said: "It's 2024 and we're facing historically high levels of food bank need. As a society, we cannot allow this to continue.

"We must not let food banks become the new norm.

"As we approach the next UK General Election, we urgently need all political leaders to set out how they will build a future where no one needs a food bank to survive."

Separately, the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) said the amount of money donated to food bank charities has increased by half year-on-year, with their research estimating the public gave almost £1 billion last year.

• food banks
• south west