Supermarket shoppers in Lewes contributed a record-breaking total of items to a food banks Christmas collection.
7,736 items of food and household goods were collected outside Lewes’s three supermarkets – Aldi, Tesco and Waitrose – last Saturday (December 11) with the message ‘banish humbug’.
Mark Perryman, pioneer of the collections, said: "When Scrooge says ‘Bah! Humbug’, he’s against the joy, tidings and solidarity of Christmas. We set out to ‘Banish Humbug’ in celebration of all that is good about the festive season.”
Saturday shoppers were asked to add certain items to their trolley as requested by the Christmas shopping lists provided by the three Lewes food banks – Fitzjohns, Landport and Malling – plus Newhaven, Ringmer Village and Seaford.
In total, some 300 people took part in the day’s collection across one-hour shifts.
The collection’s impact was enhanced throughout the day by Lewes choirs singing at Waitrose, live music performances at Aldi and pantomime cast members outside Tesco.
Debbie Twitchen of Landport food bank summed up the impact of this huge team effort. “The Christmas period will be much better for the 54 households we support because of these donations.”
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1. Lewes banishes humbug in aid of food banks
East Sussex Community Choir and Santa sing their support for the food banks Photo: Nigel French
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Emma Chaplin and Rosalind Kunath gather the goods outside Aldi Photo: Nigel French
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The Paddock Singers entertain shoppers outside Waitrose with cleverly doctored carols about food banks Photo: Sophie Isachsen
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Mick Symes of Borough Bonfire Society all dressed up and collecting Photo: Nigel French