PEOPLE in York are being urged to put the kettle on this summer and throw a tea party to help raise vital funds for an anti-poverty charity.

The Trussell Trust are encouraging the people of York to come together with friends, family and colleagues over the summer to organise a tea party to raise money to support the charity's work.

The trust supports a nationwide network of more than 1,300 food bank centres which provide emergency food and support to people facing hardship and campaigns for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.

Kate Merrifield, events engagement manager at the Trussell Trust said: “Sitting down and talking to people over a cup of tea is the first step to make people visiting a food bank feel comfortable. It provides the perfect opportunity for people to be listened to and for volunteers to better understand what drove them to the food bank and what support they might need going forward.

“We’re urging everyone in York to put the kettle on and throw a tea party. Whether you prefer your tea milky or black, with sugar or without, builders’ brew or a masala chai – anything goes, as long as you’re having fun.

"Now is the perfect time to raise both a cuppa and donations, so that together we can build a future without the need for food banks.”

People can join Tea for Trussell throughout June or at any time and any location that suits them and by signing up, people in York are helping the charity fight hunger and support their work to end the need for food banks in the UK.

TV cook and food writer Nigella Lawson, is also calling for people to get involved. She said: "As a tea drinker, I know how comforting a chat over a cup of tea can be. It’s an essential human interaction for me.

"It’s the way people visiting food banks are welcomed by volunteers, as well as the focus of the Trussell Trust’s Tea for Trussell event this June to help raise funds for their work with food banks in the UK. So please, put the kettle on, raise a cup of tea and make a donation for the Trussell Trust."

Food bank centres in the Trussell Trust’s network in Yorkshire and the Humber handed out 156,000 emergency food parcels to people in the local area between April 2021 and March 2022. The trust said food banks in its network experienced its busiest winter outside of 2020 at the height of the pandemic, providing 1.2 million parcels in the second half of the year alone.

For further details on the Trussell Trust, visit the website at: www.trusselltrust.org