YOUNGSTERS from a Hexham school teamed up with the town’s Tesco supermarket to answer a call for donations from the West Northumberland Food Bank.

Members of the Mini Vinnies at St Mary’s RC First School have spent the last few weeks of term filling a shopping trolley borrowed from the store with donations from families and staff.

Each day, pupils took to the school yard with their trolley, and staff say they have been overwhelmed by the support received.

Staff at the West Northumberland Food Bank, which is a registered charity, have revealed they have been dealing with an unprecedented spike in demand since the beginning of the year.

On Monday, Tesco staff arrived in a van to transport the donated items to the food bank storage units on Burn Lane.

Deputy headteacer Joanna Gelson said: “We can’t believe the generosity of the St Mary’s families as well as the Hexham Tesco store.”

Part of the St Vincent de Paul Society, Mini Vinnies is a national organisation which encourages youngsters aged between seven and 11, with the support of their parents and schools, to turn their concerns into action in the local community.

It’s not the first time the St Mary’s Mini Vinnies have hit the headlines.

A small group headed to the House of Commons last summer after scooping the Speaker’s School Council Award 2016 in recognition of their fund-raising support for Tynedale Hospice at Home.