Basingstoke food bank warns of busy summer holiday period

A food bank says it is gearing up for what it expects to be a busy summer amid the cost of living crisis.

The absence of free school meals over the six-week holiday period could be a challenge for low-income families.

Basingstoke Foodbank said it had seen demand increase by 30% in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2022.

Phil Thomas, its chair of trustees, told the BBC the food bank was currently feeding about 7,500 people.

"That's just in the Basingstoke area," he said, adding: "We're distributing about 83 tonnes of food, which is a phenomenal amount."

He said he thought it was "quite possible" this year could be the food bank's busiest summer ever, explaining: "I don't see the demand going away any time soon. People are really struggling to make ends meet at the moment."

Mr Thomas said with rising mortgage costs he expected to see more people coming through the door "in the short term".

The cost of a mortgage has now hit a 15-year high, with the average rate on a two-year fixed deal approaching 7%.

While he said the generosity of people in Basingstoke had been "incredible", Mr Thomas said it was sad that "at the moment, there doesn't seem to be any future without food banks".

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