My South Tyneside youth group raised over £1,000 for a local foodbank, I'm so proud of them

The 10th Boys' Brigade & Girls Association, who meet in South Shields every Friday have been working since September to support the KeyforLife foodbank.

The efforts included a sponsored walk and bag packing at a local supermarket.

“They’re currently working towards their volunteer badge, their fundraising badge and their first aid badges” explains Chris Pinnock, who works with the group.

“We decided on having a chat to see how we could do some volunteering and what sort of fundraising we could do” he adds.

After a visit to the foodbank where the young people were explained their importance and why people may need to use them, it was full steam ahead.

Pinniock continues: “The children came up with things like bag packing, sponsored football games, sponsored walks, that sort of thing.”

The bag pack happened two days before Christmas with a sponsored walk following in 2025.

In total the group raised just over £1,000 before the children worked with the foodbank to understand its needs.

“We stuck heavily to that list but the children really wanted to buy extra goodies for the young children that would use it” adds Pinnock.

“We were able to buy a chunk of sweets which would go into the food parcels as extra treats.”

The food was then delivered this week, bringing an end to the project which began back in September 2024. Limited time meant the food was only able to be bought and delivered in May.

Pinnock concludes: “We keep revisiting and checking how the children are feeling and what they think they get out of it. It’s all good, especially with all the bad press out there on social media about children and the bad attitudes towards them.

Click here to learn more about the Shields Gazette’s newsletters and get the headlines delivered to your inbox

“It’s great that we’ve put something out there which is good.

“All the leaders are volunteers and it couldn’t happen without them too. A big thank you [needs to go] to them, the children and the parents for allowing them to attend and support their efforts - and allowing their children to take time away on December 23 for bag packing at the busiest time of the year!”

Charleigh McDonnell, Captain of the group, added: “This is a great achievement that the young people have done. We have a very supportive church that encourages us to make things possible. This could never happen without all of the voluntary officers we have in the Boys' Brigade.”

Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at https://www.yourworld.net/submit/ It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.