Rochdale Foodbank volunteer celebration

Rochdale Foodbank 5th Anniversary celebration with the over 80's volunteers and Tony Lloyd MP

Rochdale Town Hall was the venue for the volunteers of Rochdale Foodbank to gather and enjoy afternoon tea, with live musical accompaniment from Jack and Izzy (RNCM) to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the foodbank.

Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd spoke about the value of the work taken on by the volunteers.

His thoughts were echoed by Councillor Donna Martin, Deputy Leader of Rochdale Council, who praised the "outstanding service to the community" made by the volunteers.

Particular tribute was paid to a group of octogenarian volunteers – the oldest being 88, who turn up every week and play a significant role in their teams.

Iain Wight, chairman of Trustees, saluted the work of each of the daily teams – 15 or so individuals for each day of the week.

He talked about the compassion and care offered and the hard work they undertook.

He said that they had handled 250 tonnes of food since the foodbank started - equal to 50 African elephants.

Food has been given to 18,000 different clients over the five years – feeding over 36,000 individuals in total in Rochdale.

He added: “We expect some challenging times ahead, which will test our stock levels and our energy, but we believe that God will continue to provide through the incredible generosity of the people of Rochdale and the commitment of these volunteers.”