Hundreds of hampers to spread 'joy' of Diwali

Deepa Parekh said the initiative was about spreading "happiness and joy"

More than 100 volunteers have prepared hundreds of food hampers in a bid to spread "light and love" to struggling families across the region.

About 1,100 food parcels were created by members of the Diwali Basket Brigade in Manchester and will be distributed to four different charities across the north-west of England.

Lead organiser Deepa Parekh said this was "what Diwali was all about".

"It's about spreading light and love and happiness and joy to people that might not know who you are, they've never probably ever met you, but you're able to do that," she said.

"There's just something that hits different when you're able to do that and that's why they come."

Each hamper includes around 15 items and a handmade Diwali card

The Diwali Basket Brigade is a charitable initiative organised by The Diwali Foundation.

Their objective is to provide food hampers to socially deprived and vulnerable households from all faiths and backgrounds across the UK throughout the festival.

The food hampers are made using biodegradable packaging and contain essential non-perishable food items and toiletries as well as a handmade Diwali card.

Ms Parekh continued: "We have items in there that will last not just a day, which is what we want to do, and then there's some little special surprises in there like chocolate."

Emma Rapley described the donations as "incredible"

Emma Rapley, from Salford Food Bank, which is helping to distribute the packages, said: "It's just lovely to give an extra treat to people.

"At Salford Food Bank, we're feeding anybody in hardship.

"We give out an emergency food parcel with enough food in it to feed a family for three days.

"So giving the Diwali bags, especially with the little gift note that says 'Happy Diwali' and explains what the parcel is for, it's just a really nice extra to give people."