AT least 12 tons of food has been donated to the Forest Foodbank this year – with 10 tons already having been distributed.

The Forest Foodbank has been busy all year collecting and sorting through donations received from the public for those living below the breadline. During a recent collection at the Tesco store in Lydney, generous shoppers donated a further 1.5 tons as they left the store as part of the store's national campaign to provide 10 million meals to cash-strapped people this Christmas. The store will then top up the amount the Forest Foodbank collected by an extra 30 per cent.

Sandi McDonagh and Dave Turley of the Foodbank have been particularly busy this week as they sort through the stock ready for Christmas.

She said: "We control the stocks of food by weighing in the donations and collections and then weigh out the food boxes to clients so that we can ensure all the food is accounted for. The food is stored in strict rotation by "best before date" and we are including Christmas items in the boxes for the festive season.

"We must say a big thank you to Tesco's national campaign and the exceptional generosity from the people of the Forest of Dean. As a result of our fantastic collection we will be able to give hungry people food at Christmas – a time when most of us have plenty."