A GENEROUS initiative from Cadent gas employees has helped Widnes Foodbank provide more than 450 meals in the coronavirus crisis.

Staff at the network clubbed together vouchers they were given at Christmas by Cadent, which came to a total of £595.

First Call Operative Micky Nutt was ‘inundated’ when he reached out to his colleagues to see if anyone wanted to join forces in making a donation to a local charity.

Mike Howe, his supervisor, said: “We spoke to Widnes Foodbank and, at their request, held off until after Christmas because they knew they’d have a shortage following the festive flurry.

“Micky and I went shopping with £595 worth of vouchers to buy products the food bank told us they needed and then delivered it to the warehouse. We handed over 190kg of food, which we now know has enabled them to make up 454 meals.”

This is not the first time Cadent have shown an altruistic side: Just before Christmas, it pledged £6,000 to support a number of food banks across the UK in areas it operates in.

That’s alongside making a £240,000 commitment to the Trussell Trust through the Cadent Foundation, the company’s charitable arm, in its Covid-19 response.

The Trussell Trust currently runs more than 1,200 food banks, which is roughly equivalent to two-thirds of all British help centres.