Severn Valley donate to local foodbank

Our Severn Valley region has made a substantial donation to a local foodbank in Weston-super-Mare.

Severn Valley has contributed £6,000 to Weston-super-Mare foodbank as part of our Community Champions initiative.

The town’s mayor, Cllr Ciaran Cronnelly, was present for the cheque presentation, where the region made the donation to the Mayor’s chosen charity for the year.

The foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust’s network of 428 foodbanks, working to tackle food poverty and hunger in local communities across the UK.

Established within the town since 2011, nearly 46,000 people have been referred to Weston’s foodbank. They receive up to 77 tonnes of food per year, with donations coming through school and churches, supermarket collections, permanent collections bins, businesses, groups and individuals.

Commenting on the donation, Frederique Wigmore, Project Manager at Weston-super-Mare Foodbank, said:

“On behalf of Weston-super-Mare Foodbank I would like to pass on my thanks and gratitude to Persimmon Homes Severn Valley for this fantastic donation.

“This has been one of the busiest times our Foodbank has witnessed since we opened our doors in the town in 2011, and the demand has seen a huge increase in the need for food items to support families and individuals.

“We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry, and that’s why we provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis.

“We are very grateful to Persimmon Severn Valley for their kind donation, which will allow us to continue to support local families in Weston.”

We employ over 5,000 people directly and support over 80,000 jobs in the supply chain, and its long-established Community Champions scheme sees over £700,000 spent on good causes across Britain each year.

Other local beneficiaries include North Somerset People First, Westhaven School, Weston Jets Baseball Club, Haywood Village Academy, and Weston-Super-Mare RNLI.

Commenting on the donation, Persimmon Homes Severn Valley’s Sales Director, Carly Spear, said:

“We are very pleased to have been able to provide support to people in Weston-super-Mare who are most in need – times are hard for many at the moment and we are happy to lend a helping hand.

“Persimmon’s Community Champions initiative is all about supporting the communities and people in which we build, and this is another deserving recipient in Weston-super-Mare.

“The cost-of-living challenges are hitting a number of families and with our Haywood Village site just around the corner from the foodbank’s warehouse, we want to ensure that the service is there for whoever might need that support locally.”

The foodbank’s warehouse is a stone throw from our Haywood Village development, The Sandcastles, which will eventually provide 2,500 homes, once completed. The region recently submitted plans for the second school it will deliver as part of the site.

Mayor of Weston-super-Mare and local councillor, Ciaran Cronnelly, said:

“I am very grateful to Persimmon for their generous donation to Weston-super-Mare’s foodbank, which I am certain will make a significant difference to the charity.

“It is an organisation close to my heart, which is why is chose it as my Mayoral charity for the year, and any help that can be provided from key local businesses and organisations is always very much appreciated.”