'People are in really desperate situations'

Chief executive of charity Future Project, Daniel Childerhouse, said more working families needed help this Christmas

A charity said the number of Christmas hampers it hands out to those in need has more than doubled in the last three years.

Future Projects runs community schemes in Norfolk and provides support for people facing hardship.

It said it had made 270 parcels this year, up from 116 in 2019, with a "significant" increase in working families who needed help.

The charity's chief executive, Daniel Childerhouse, said: "We're seeing people in really desperate situations now."

The hampers also contain chocolates and small gifts for the families that receive them

The hampers contain food and household items, designed to support families and individuals over the Christmas period.

Those without access to cooking facilities, such as homeless people staying in temporary accommodation, also receive parcels with items that do not need cooking.

The charity said it had seen an increase in demand every year since it started giving out hampers six years ago - and this year it was handing out about 60 more parcels than in 2021.

'Collecting rain water'

Mr Childerhouse said: "We're seeing more and more working families in crisis and needing our support this year.

"We can't overstate how important the parcels are for people.

"We've had clients come to us who are collecting rain water to flush their toilets, because they can't afford bills.

"The heating [or] eating issue has always been a problem, but we're seeing it hit home for a number of families."

The parcels contain food, household items and hygiene products, and will help families when support services may be closed

Mr Childerhouse said the hampers "just take the pressure off" families over the festive period, adding it was also able to provide small presents.

"Hopefully it can give a bit of Christmas joy to those families in tough situations," he added.

Charity worker Camilla Wright said with increased cost of living, many families needed help this Christmas

Camilla Wright, a support worker at the Norwich-based charity, said: "We're seeing struggling families coming into this centre on a daily basis. Not just those on low incomes and benefits - in the last three months we are seeing more working families."

She said people were having problems with increases in mortgage rates or rent and the general rise in the cost of living.

"It's shocking, especially when you see working families coming in and needing our support as well as the most vulnerable and the elderly, but we will do our best for everybody," she added.

The government has provided two payments totalling £650 that have been made to more than eight million low-income households.

The first instalment of £326 was paid out between 14 and 31 July and the second instalment of £324 should have reached those eligible by the end of December.

Some groups will be eligible for further payments of up to £900 from April 2023.