AROUND 50 people have pledged their support to a new foodbank distribution centre to better help the Verwood area.

As reported in the Daily Echo, Ringwood Foodbank already has a centre at Hangersley, but moves are being made to establish a base to improve the service to Verwood, which is currently covered from the Ringwood hub that opened last summer.

The foodbank, which is run by the Trussell Trust in conjunction with churches, has shops in Verwood and Ferndown that hold emergency boxes, but they cannot be tailored to particular situations or offer any personal support.

The hope is to establish a centre at Verwood United Reformed Church and a meeting was held there last Wednesday for those wanting to help.

The Revd Julian Macro, chairman of Churches Together in Verwood, said: “It went brilliantly.

“The hall was absolutely packed full, with about 82 people; 50 people have volunteered to help.

“David Kratzke has offered to be local organiser and there will be briefing sessions for volunteers to train us and show us what to do.

“It can’t happen overnight, but it’s all systems go because there is lots of interest and goodwill.

“We also need to make more contact with local agencies, so they know that it will all be happening.

“People who are in need will need to know all about it.”

Julian said that Cllr Peter Richardson, the current mayor of Verwood, had also offered to help when his mayoral year was over.

Ahead of the meeting, project manager Peter Trebilco said that a distribution centre meant that more services could be offered to people in need, including signposting them to other agencies that can help.

Afterwards, he added that the response had been “excellent” and said: “Everyone seemed very positive.”

For further information contact verwoodfoodbank@yahoo.co.uk