Around £500 worth of food was donated to a foodbank in the run-up to Christmas, thanks to the efforts of Blackwood Rotary Club.

Club members headed to the Sainsbury’s store in Pontllanfraith on December 17 and filled their trolleys with rice, cereal, tinned food, tea, coffee and more.

The food was then donated to the foodbank run by St Augustine’s Church in Pontllanfraith ready to help families in need over the festive period.

Club member Ian Johnston, a former Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, told Caerphilly Observer: “We’ve done this a couple of times this year due to the position foodbanks find themselves in.

“It’s nice to know families in need were helped at Christmas.”

Mr Johnston praised Reverend Trevor Morgan, a Rotary Club member, for working with foodbanks to arrange the donations.

Club members pay a subscription fee to be a part of the club, with this money used to pay for meals and other fundraising events. However, with many events unable to go ahead in recent years due to the Covid pandemic, members agreed to continue paying their subscription fees – with a chunk of this money being put towards helping foodbanks instead.

Since the pandemic, the club has supported numerous foodbanks across the borough, including Rhymney Valley Foodbank.