In April, following a joint proposal from Cllr Phil Harvey and Cllr Peter Clayton, the Council agreed to allocate an initial sum of £5,000 to support the food bank and invited the charity to call on the Council when this fund is required. This month the council made its second £500 food delivery to support this vital service.

Councillors have worked with Tesco to safely undertake the purchase and delivery of food to the Burnham & Highbridge food bank. A food bank representative stated, “thanks to the Town Council for this generous donation & Pete Clayton in particular for his delivery & unloading skills!”
The Council recognises the unfortunate fact that the food bank is under pressure to supply emergency food to an increased number of people at present and the Council is committed to continuing to work alongside the charity to offer its support.

Council staff continue to undertake support roles alongside community groups to carry out food and prescription deliveries, and the Town Council’s rapid response grants are being used to support with the purchase of PPE and other needs.

The grant fund has also enabled the Council to work alongside local housing associations, Homes in Sedgemoor, LiveWest and SHAL, to produce and deliver 500 family activity packs to tenant families with children. The Council’s Projects Officer has helped put together the activity pack with a nature theme running through it. The pack contains plants to grow from seeds and a competition to enter, bug hotels to make, colouring-in and things to do when out and about. It is hoped that the initiative will encourage open communication between people and service providers to better identify future projects that will bring a positive benefit to our communities.

Town Mayor, Cllr Mike Facey, says, “I am delighted that the Council is continuing to support local groups, charities and services as we find our way through the Coronavirus crisis. Although we are seeing movement restrictions lifted by the Government, this Council recognises that our community has a long journey ahead of us and it is imperative that we continue to support each other throughout that journey.”