Focus on Copeland

We have two Foodbank Centres in Copeland; Whitehaven & Egremont. In the last 6 weeks we have been overwhelmed with donations of both food and money (to buy food) from local people who have just walked into centres to help the Foodbank at this difficult time. Usage across the North Lakes foodbank has increased by 50% since 'lockdown' at the end of March whilst collections centres such as schools, churches and businesses have all had to close. We are really grateful to everyone for thinking of us and those people in crisis who need to use our service at this time. Below is a flavour of what we have seen at the two centres in recent weeks.

The Turntable Cafe at Ravenglass Station brought all sorts of Easter goodies to our Egremont Centre yesterday as well as other food and drink

Organix popped in to Whitehaven Foodbank to drop all this food off.

The nursing staff at West Cumberland hospital have turned up at Lorton Street with food donations.

Tom from Egremont only took up painting once he retired and he has auctioned some of them for local charities; including the Foodbank.

Local Councillors and residents are coming to the Egremont centre each week to drop off both food and financial donations. We are also helping locally to distribute ‘Fareshare’ bags made up by Kings Church in Cockermouth in the Egremont area.

Thank you so much to St Johns Church for their generous Car Park food collection last week. Nisa stores at Cleator Moor and Whitehaven also held a collection for us and brought it into the Whitehaven FB. We are really grateful that through the generosity of so many kind people we can continue supporting people in these challenging times.

Following a doorstep collection (or as near as you can manage in these 'different' time) Hensingham & Hillcrest collected over 40 crates of food from local people. Public generosity to those less fortunate shows no bounds. THANK YOU

Staff from Sellafield, who recently received their annual bonus have come into Egremont with financial donations as have a number of local businesses.

It is both humbling and great to see that the Community helping and supporting the community is very much alive in Cumbria.