Man says food bank allowed him to 'start again'

Peter Woodman now volunteers at the food bank that helped him

A man who volunteers at the food bank that helped him get back on his feet has said it allowed his journey to "start again".

Pensioner Peter Woodman attended Bracknell Foodbank in Berkshire as a client a year ago.

"I had nothing, no money, no food... when I left the food bank, I had something," he said.

The food bank has recently extended its hours to cater for the growing number of working people it sees who cannot attend during the day.

Sarah Walker, social justice lead at Kerith Community Church where the food bank is based, said the last couple of years had been "a lot busier" than previous ones.

Last year, the organisation trialled a 18:00-19:30 BST session on Mondays - and it became one of the food bank's busiest.

"What we're seeing is the families that are just earning a little bit too much to be accepted for benefits but not quite enough to be comfortable," said Ms Walker.

"[The cost of living crisis] has been going on for a little while now, people have run out of savings. I think it is hitting people hard."

Sarah Walker said demand had been rising in recent years

Mr Woodman said he was "in tears" when he first attended the food bank, but once he arrived, "it was so easy".

"They're so kind down here, so understanding, it's unbelievable," he said.

"I got a welcome, a cup of tea, a biscuit, straight away, no questions asked."

He said it was rewarding to see people get the same help he did.

"You can hear them, the anger, the apprehension," he said.

"When they walk out here with a trolley full of food and all the help they can get, it's fantastic."

A government spokesperson called the "mass dependence" on food banks "unacceptable".

"We are taking immediate action by extending the Household Support Fund to protect the most vulnerable this winter, kickstarting work to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackling inequality and making work pay," they said.