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Avanti West Coast Carlisle Foobank 1

Avanti West Coast supports Carlisle Foodbank

Avanti West Coast staff donate food items to help Carlisle Foodbank support local community this Christmas.

  • Food collection by Avanti West Coast staff aims to make a difference in Carlisle over the festive period
  • Carlisle Foodbank welcomes donations to support local community

Avanti West Coast staff have donated hundreds of food items to Carlisle Foodbank to support the local community this Christmas.

The initiative was the idea of Customer Service Assistant, Katie Smith who set up a collection point at the station for colleagues. Donations of items have included baked beans, sauces, mince pies, biscuits, and toiletries.

Katie, who volunteers as a Community Champion at Avanti West Coast, was determined to make a difference over the festive period and chose to help Carlisle Foodbank, having seen their great work first-hand, in recent months.

The donated items will be made up into food parcels by volunteers at the Foodbank’s base, which is located around the corner from the station.

Speaking of the collection, Katie said: “I’ve been overwhelmed by the response. Carlisle Foodbank is close to our hearts. I’ve seen some of the great work they do and spoken to people who have benefitted from their support. So, at Avanti West Coast we wanted to play our part to help the Foodbank continue their vital work in the community, even more so in the run up to the festive period.”

ENDS

Contact Information

Laura Normansell

Avanti West Coast

laura.normansell@avantiwestcoast.co.uk

Notes to editors

About Carlisle Foodbank 

Carlisle Foodbank is run by a Board of Trustees who have a range of different backgrounds and are interdenominational. There is a part-time manager and many volunteers from across the area. We continue to rely on donations of time, money and food, and look to work together with local agencies, schools, and businesses to support people in crisis.

We support people through a referral system with local agency partners, and when donations are available we are able to provide for people with special dietary needs. We also tailor parcels for each family or person we provide for to make sure that it suits their needs as best we can. The food parcels are designed to last for three days.

About Avanti West Coast

Avanti West Coast, operator of intercity rail services on the West Coast Main Line, is a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia, delivering a cleaner, greener railway that drives the West Coast forward.

We’re on a mission to revolutionise train travel, linking together the towns and major cities of the UK to create an iconic railway the country can be proud of. We’ve got big plans including a fleet of new intercity trains, as well as the complete refurbishment of the existing Pendolino train fleet. We will introduce more train services every week with new routes added, and a much-improved onboard service with enhanced free Wi-Fi, plug sockets, 25,000 brand new seats and improved catering. Since 8 December, passengers have benefitted from improved passenger compensation, available for journeys delayed by just 15 minutes.

For the latest news, visit the Avanti West Coast Media Room: https://newsdesk.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/

Press Office: 0845 000 3333