Yate and Thornbury Foodbanks have both received £1000 donations from major housebuilders.

Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, who are developing Ladden Garden Village in Yate and Park Farm in Thornbury, have made donations to support the foodbanks after they experienced surges in demands for food parcels, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The donations are part of a £9,000 initiative by Barratt and David Wilson Homes to support food banks near the communities they are building across the South West.

Mair Vaughan, a volunteer at Thornbury food bank said:

"The coronavirus outbreak has hit some of the poorest people in our communities hardest and, like other local food banks, we've seen a huge surge in demand for food parcels over the past few months.

"Our volunteer teams are working tirelessly to ensure that we have the necessary stocks to respond to this crisis, which is being accomplished through the generosity of our community.

"We want to say a big ‘thank you' to Barratt and David Wilson Homes for these generous donations which mean we will be able to continue to respond to the fast-changing situation and provide the lifeline of emergency food and additional support for people in crisis."

Through their Local Community Fund, Barratt and David Wilson Homes donate £3,000 every month to local community causes and initiatives across the South West.

As the devastating impact of the coronavirus crisis continues, food banks are seeing a huge increase in demand, with the Trussell Trust reporting an 81% increase in demand for emergency food parcels compared to the same period last year, including a 122% rise in parcels going to children. This is coupled with radically changing their systems of food collection and distribution in order to operate safely.

Louise Ware, sales director at David Wilson Homes South West said:

"As well as building much-needed high quality new homes, we believe passionately in building and supporting local communities.

"So we're pleased to be able to make a contribution that directly supports people living near our Ladden Garden Village and Park Farm developments when they need it most.

Andrea Pilgrim, sales director at Barratt Homes Bristol Division added:

"The coronavirus outbreak has had such a devastating impact on so many people, in terms of their health or their finances, and sadly all too often on both.

We are hugely grateful to the staff and volunteers at Yate and Thornbury Food Banks for their incredibly valuable work and hope our contribution enables them both to continue and to spread that support widely."

Barratt and David Wilson Homes have recently re-opened sales centres and show homes on an appointment only basis and with a range of safety measures and new working procedures to comply with Government guidelines.

These include protective perspex screens, retractable barriers, strict social distancing and, where necessary, personal protective equipment (PPE), plus smart video- doorbell intercom systems.

Anyone interested in buying or viewing a new Barratt or David Wilson Home should contact their local sales office for more detail on specific developments and visit the Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes websites to book an appointment.

For more information visit www.barratthomes.co.uk or www.dwh.co.uk