Newcastle food bank is the busiest in the UK

A Tyneside food bank has been ranked as the busiest in the UK. The Trussell Trust, which operates 435 food banks nationwide, says its Newcastle West End branch in Benwell fed almost 22,000 people in the six months from April to September - with each person receiving three days' worth of supplies.

Of those 22,000, around half were children. 28 percent were people experiencing benefits problems such as benefits sanctions or changes to their benefits which resulted in delayed payments.

35 percent were those in work but on low incomes, including many on part-time or zero hours contracts.

Here is Michael Nixon of the Newcastle West End food bank:

Demand has been so high, the West End food bank has been taking in donations from other parts of the network including the South of England and Glasgow. Feeding an estimated 55,000 people a year, it is five times busier than the second most used food bank in the country, which feeds around 10,000 people a year.

Demand is expected to rise sharply over Christmas and more donations of food and more volunteers are needed, as the food bank distributes around four tonnes of groceries a week. It operates sessions on Mondays and Thursdays at the Venerable Bede Church in Benwell. Vouchers for the food bank are issued to those in need by the Citizens Advice Bureau, social workers, doctors, health visitors and police.

Food donation points are operated at major supermarkets across the North East and from next week these will include Tesco at Kingston Park and Tesco at Hexham.