With no football Combe Martin Football Club have lent their club house to a new foodbank, set up by local community group Free Help in partnership with the Club.  The football club committee help to collect food, assemble packs in the club house and distribute it to those in need in the Village.  “The community have been so generous, we have set up drop off points in 4 local shops and open the club twice a week for people to drop off food” explains club treasurer Louise Jenkins.

Meanwhile neighbours Ilfracombe Town players and club have donated food to their local foodbank at Belle’s Place.  Centre Manager Carol Parkin explained how important donations are right now: “We usually feed around 30 people or families a day, and since Covid-19 this is already up by around 10%.  However we anticipate a big increase in the next month; many people will have just had their last wage for some time, and may be waiting for universal credit, so we are looking to increase our stock in readiness for that”.

It’s great to see football clubs remaining so important to their communities, particularly at a time where a million people nationally have recently applied for Universal Credit.  If you want to donate to these projects:

Combe Martin FC: Contact Louise Jenkins – 07902 877887 or louiseslade30@hotmail.com

Belle’s Place: http://bellesplace.co.uk/contact-us/

We know some other clubs have also donated some now surplus stock to their local foodbank also.  If your club wants to do this and find your local foodbank, a number of foodbanks are operated by the Trussell Trust for example: https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/find-a-foodbank/.