It has been confirmed this morning that a record 1.2 million emergency food parcels were handed out by Trussell Trust foodbanks in the six months of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
According to the charity – which made the announcement across social platforms – from April to September, more than 470,000 of the food parcels were delivered to children, which on average came to around 2,600 every day.
The Trussell Trust says these figures show the scale of support needed during the pandemic.
The figures released however did not include people helped by community organisations, independent food banks, or local authorities.
In its latest report, The Trussell Trust – which runs a network of 1,300 centres across the UK – saw a 47% increase in support needed during the pandemic, and although it welcomed moves by the government to help those struggling, the charity has also called for longer-term action to be taken.
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Low income, benefit delays, and sickness or ill health were the top three reasons someone may have been referred to a Trussell Trust food bank between April and September this year.
Our new figures show #foodbanks in our network distributed more than 1.2 million food parcels between April and September. This marks a shocking 47% increase in need during the crisis, building on record need experienced during the same period last year > pic.twitter.com/62OIJ2ja3p
Emma Revie – Chief Executive of The Trussell Trust – said: “Throughout 2020, communities across the country have stepped in to provide vital support to people left without enough money.
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“Volunteers in food banks have been working hard under extremely difficult circumstances to make sure support is there for people struggling to afford essentials, but it’s not right that any of us are forced to a charity for food, at any time of year.
“In the last few weeks, we’ve seen incredible compassion and concern for people facing hunger following Marcus Rashford’s brilliant campaigning, and it’s hugely welcome to see the government build on steps already taken by providing significant new funding for local councils in England.
“This vital local support must work in co-ordination with a national welfare system that is strong enough to act as a lifeline to anyone struggling to afford the essentials.
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“This pandemic has shown the unexpected can hit us suddenly, with devastating consequences for people’s lives, but it’s also shown we can make huge changes to the way we live and look after each other.”
Still so much work to do… To all the selfless volunteers, thank you. We have to keep fighting to stabilise the households of our children… https://t.co/QZYvKaMfJw
The Trussell Trust has also said foodbanks in its network could see high levels of use over the winter as more and more people become redundant.
The charity is expecting to give out an emergency parcel every 9 seconds.
In response to the rising numbers and the projected figures ahead of winter, a government spokesman said: “We are committed to making sure that the most vulnerable in our society are protected and we’ve put in place a strong package of support to ensure children and their families do not go hungry during this pandemic.
“Our additional £400 million of funding includes £170 million to help families stay warm and well-fed this winter, a further £16 million to provide immediate support to frontline food aid charities, and a £220 million Holiday Activities and Food programme.”
You can find out more about The Trussell Trust’s campaign for a ‘Hunger Free Future’ here.
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Bernardo Silva refused to speak to Bruno Fernandes during the FA Cup final
Danny Jones
The first-ever Manchester Derby FA Cup final in history was always going to be an acrimonious affair, but one flare-up fans might not have expected came between midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
Man City took one step closer to winning the treble on Saturday — a feat which would see them equal United’s treasured achievement in 1999 — but at half-time, Bernardo Silva’s derby day mentality was well and truly locked in as the two Portuguese players had a little spat on the pitch.
With the United captain walking up to share a few words with his international teammate as they went to walk down the tunnel, City’s number 20 had no interest in chatting with his compatriot.
In fact, in a moment picked up by the cameras on the day, Bernardo not only did his best to ignore Bruno but even shoved him away when his opposite numbers tried to get his attention.
No wonder Portugal have never been close to winning a World Cup. These lot hate each other.pic.twitter.com/Hyn94tRQO3
Bernardo Silva pushes Bruno Fernandes away as he tries to chat in the middle of the derby.
That’s an icy blue cold shoulder if we’ve ever seen one. Admittedly, Silva looked to have been chatting with the officials and Bruno could have been trying to casually intervene but either way, he wasn’t having any of it.
Despite apparently having been friends ever since they met in Portugal’s under-18s camp, it’s clear that City star Silva was fully focused on seeing out the result and had no time for pleasantries with the task still at hand.
Moreover, while Fernandes has previously insisted he has “a great relationship with Bernardo” and that the two share regular WhatsApp messages throughout the season, he did admit ahead of that game they “normally don’t speak” until after the full-time whistle these days.
That being said, it would seem only Silva got the derby day memo this time around and, much like City have been on the pitch for a good five or six seasons now, he chose to remain ruthless and quite literally push his friendship to the side.
Although seeing rival players (often fellow countrymen or ex-teammates) greeting and hugging each other before, during and after a game is much more commonplace these days, it’s still one that split opinion — especially if you’re Roy Keane.
The United legend has previously slammed a number of players from his former club for being far too friendly in the tunnel before going up against each other — including in a Manchester derby not long ago — stating that they need to “cut that” and “just get down the tunnel”.
Nevertheless, it looks as though the more cutthroat attitude helped the Blues on the day, scoring within 13 seconds to set the tone for the rest of the game.
Pep Guardiola‘s side now only needs to win one more game, the Champions League final against Inter Milan this weekend, to do the treble and put themselves even deeper into the history books than they already are. Regardless, many already believe Pep will go down as the greatest of all time.
Holly Willoughby delivers honest and emotional statement addressing Phillip Schofield scandal on This Morning return
Danny Jones
Holly Willoughby has officially addressed the ongoing Phillip Schofield scandal on her return to This Morning on Monday.
Making her first appearance since the pair both dropped off the show following Schofield’s admission that he had a relationship with a younger man who worked on the show, his former co-presenter jumped straight into the issue at the top of the show.
“Firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange sitting here without Phil and I know that you might be feeling a lot like I have: shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing on all sides of what’s been going on, and have lots of questions.
“You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career they loved. That is a lot to process and it’s equally hard to see the toll that has taken on their own mental health.”
Holly Willoughby’s opening statement on her This Morning return.
The 42-year-old went on to say, “I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone. I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
“From my heart, can I just say thank you for all your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning. Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison, Craig and everyone who works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you the show that we love.”
Stand-in host Josie Gibson then hugged Holly and said: “All we can do now is be the family that we are”.
After making it through the statement, Holly and Josie then jumped back into the regularly scheduled programming as usual.
As for the scandal itself, Schofield recently gave an exclusive interview with the BBC admitting that his “career is over” and had “suicidal thoughts” after the story broke, as well as insisting that he hasn’t spoken with Holly since apart from sending her an apology via text following his own statement.
The 61-year-old continues to deny allegations that he groomed the man he maintained a relationship with for a number of years but ITV has stated that they are continuing to investigate the situation following his resignation.
The Manc -
12th November 2020 
