ONE year ago, as the nation was plunged into an unprecedented lockdown, the phones at Brighton and Hove Food Partnership began to ring. And they have not stopped.

Demand for the food charity's services soared, and so the team took action.

Members launched a fundraising campaign to raise enough money to be able to provide food for those in need, aiming to raise £15,000 to achieve this. But this sum was used in a single week.

Luckily, with the support of the city, they were able to hit their fundraising target several times over and buy food for thousands of people who desperately needed help.

At points over the last year, Brighton and Hove Food Partnership worked with partners to deliver food parcels to more than 3,000 households in the city in a week.

One person to receive regular food parcels, who did not want to be named, said: "Brighton and Hove Food Partnership's help is the lifeline I needed during these hard times. I used to go days without food but now I eat regularly."

A spokeswoman for the food charity thanked the residents, community groups, public sector organisations and businesses in Brighton and Hove for supporting their cause, and asked them to continue to support them as they carry out their vital work.

This includes making and distributing food parcels including toiletries and other essentials for people in crisis, creating and sharing healthy recipe kits for families living in poverty, and bringing healthy meals to vulnerable people in the city through its network of food banks, cookery classes and neighbourhood groups.