THE 10th anniversary of Wellington Foodbank has been marked with a gathering of volunteers and guests and a visit by the town’s new mayor Cllr Marcus Barr.

The foodbank operates twice a week from the United Reformed Church (URC) Hall, in Fore Street, on Monday and Thursday afternoons.

Foodbank lead volunteer Christine Silverlight told guests: “We wanted to mark the anniversary. We are not ‘celebrating’ it.

“When we started 10 years ago we did not really think there would still be a foodbank here 10 years later.”

Mrs Silverlight said the foodbank had a ‘modest’ start and there were not a lot of clients in the early days, but today there were crowds of people needing help.

However, she said: “We have evolved, and we have learned a lot about how to deal with people who are in a real crisis. How to look after people, how to signpost them.

“Above all, we are here to listen to them, we are here for them.

“Some people have amazing stories. Some people have very tragic and sad stories. Some people have later become okay.”

Mrs Silverlight said a large part of the foodbank’s role was to provide a place where people could enjoy some fellowship and chat together.

She thanked the URC for accommodating the foodbank free of charge and highlighted how it was probably the church which over the years had given the largest number of gifts to people.

“They are very generous, they are amazing.” she said. “A big thank you also to all our volunteers who have been absolutely amazing and supported me throughout.”

Project manager Sue Waitman said Wellington Foodbank was ‘a real ministry, listening to people’ which was what it was all about.

She said: “Foodbanks are not just about giving food. People who do not have food usually have a long list of crises.”

Cllr Barr expressed the town council’s thanks for the foodbank’s work and said councillors ‘will always support the foodbank because we understand what you do for the community, how what you do is amazing’.

He said: “You bring people together and we have said in council many times what wonderful work you do, so we always will be here to support you.”

A bouquet of flowers was presented to the URC minister the Rev Jenny Kilgour as a ‘thank you’ for the use of the church hall.