UK's first foodbank in Wiltshire celebrates 25th birthday

Sophie ParkerBBC News, Wiltshire and

Ben PraterBBC Radio Wiltshire

BBC Mike and Maria smile at the camera while standing in a warehouse, part of a foodbank banner behind them. Mike is wearing a blue polo top and dark gilet while Maria wears a blue shirt with foodbank branding. — Mike, pictured above, now volunteers at Salisbury Foodbank – the very service that once supported him, run by Maria Stevenson, also pictured

The UK’s largest foodbank charity – which has 1,400 locations – has been marking 25 years since its first one opened.

The Trussell Trust is based in Wiltshire and opened its first UK foodbank in Salisbury in 2000 after a hearing from a struggling mother.

Maria Stevenson runs it and now has Citizens Advice in the building too to help visitors with their finances, something she said has made an “astronomical” difference to those they help.

While many in the network are talking about increasing need, Ms Stevenson saw demand come down last year in Salisbury, with 7,637 people helped, but she said more than a third of those were children.

She has been involved with the foodbanks for six years and seen how things like the pandemic, changes to the benefit system and the war in Ukraine have affected them.

Ms Stevenson said bringing Citizens Advice to the site was transformative – allowing some people to become sufficiently financially secure that they no longer needed to come to the foodbank.

“The impact that we’ve seen – we can track the value of that in financial terms for what we pay Citizens Advice to deliver that [service], it’s something like 900% return of investment,” she said.

More than a third of the people they feed at the Salisbury foodbank are children

PA Media A shot looking down on a plastic green crate full of various brands of tinned tomatoes being held by someone, though you can only see their hands. — More than a third of the people they feed at the Salisbury foodbank are children

Mike volunteers there but started off needing help after his rental accommodation changed ownership.

“[I] wasn’t in a good place. I needed a foodbank to get me by.

“Relied on that for a bit and managed to get myself a place through Homes for Wiltshire.

“Then carried on working here and now I’ve also now started part-time work as well so I don’t rely on it as much.”

Ms Stevenson said the team have seen Mike “become himself again”.

“I think of it as paying back a little bit. I was helped out quite a lot,” he added.

Mike now volunteers at the foodbank which once helped him

“We want to see a decline. We don’t want foodbanks to exist – we want people to have enough money in their pocket to buy their own food and make their own choice,” said Ms Stevenson.

“I want people that are struggling to know we’ll be there to support them if they need it. And they shouldn’t feel any shame about that at all.”

She added that working people are accessing support as well, with the cost of living leaving people feeling less financial security.

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