Christmas is the time for giving and that certainly rings true for generous residents in Maldon.

Donations to the town’s food bank, based at the Maldon Elim Church, in Wantz Road, to help cash-strapped families over the festive period are on the up.

More than 40 special Christmas hampers were handed out to the needy on Wednesday, after a supermarket food collection the previous week filled the pantry’s stocks.

Pastor Rob Sefton said: “It just shows that this is a massive problem. We want to thank all the people who have donated and the supermarkets that helped.”

He urged supermarkets to set up more collection days in the hope of keeping stocks high.

Those who use the food bank spoke of it as a “lifeline”.

See this week's MBS for the full story.