Neighbours band together for group donation to West Berks Foodbank

A group of neighbours in Thatcham have proved that a little goes a long way with their group donation to West Berks Foodbank.

Six crates of food, drink and toiletries were accumulated in the space of a week by the residents of Burns Walk and donated to the food bank on December 18.

This is the third time the band of neighbours have come together in the name of charity following their first group donation in lockdown.

It all started with a WhatsApp group which brought them together during the coronavirus pandemic.

Thatcham man Mark Palmer-Broughton said: "It started during Covid, for anyone that needed anything or if anyone was stuck indoors and needed bread or milk.

"We have sort of stayed as a group since and the WhatsApp chat has remained. We use it for everything."

This Christmas, Burns Walk resident Sarah Warren contacted the group chat to revive the food bank collection.

It was no time before donations started to come in and Mr Palmer-Broughton and wife Louise Palmer-Broughton stored them in their home – completely filling their dining table.

He said the group surpassed last years donation total which was "lovely to see" despite the cost-of-living crisis.

"It is lovely to be able to reach out and help people who are less fortunate than ourselves this time of year," he said.

"I thought I wasn't going to get many donations this year because everyone is struggling with bills and the heating costs but I think we got more than the year before.

"Everyone is struggling anyway so it's nice to be able to give something back."

He added: "It doesn't cost a million pounds to get a few extra items in your shopping and put them in the trolley.

"A few bottles of washing up liquid, a few bars of soap and it adds up."

The group hopes to continue with the food bank donations and Mr Palmer-Broughton invited others to take part either by contacting him on Facebook or donating directly to the food bank itself.