I am delighted to announce that four team leaders of the Crowborough Foodbank have been awarded the Wealden Hero Award this week.

At the beginning of April, Crowborough Foodbank lost many of its volunteers from active duties, as they were shielding or vulnerable. This coincided with the relocation of the warehouse, so that social distancing measures could be implemented. Nicky Tierney, Lin Arney, Iain Luxford and Carol Roberts immediately stood in as team leaders and oversaw the reorganisation process. Due to their superb organisation, the foodbank was operating seamlessly again within a week. Their teams of volunteers have then resumed collecting food from supermarkets, sorting, boxing, and allocating items, managing referrals, and delivering it to addresses across the area. So far this year, they provided over 12,500 meals to over 1,400 people in need. Beautiful soaps kindly donated by the English Soap Company and distributed to local organisations by Nus Ghani and her team earlier this year, have also been delivered to the Crowborough Food Bank, who ensured their distribution across the community.

The Crowborough Foodbank team have done an amazing job in adapting their services to the situation and accommodating for the needs of the most vulnerable people in the community. They have organised a much-needed support and I am delighted to present them with the Wealden Hero Award.

Pictured above are: Nicky Tierney, Iain Luxford, Nus Ghani MP, Lin Arney and Carol Roberts