Worcester Foodbank has issued a plea for donations after experiencing their fourth ever busiest month in September.

The foodank - which opened its doors in 2012 - fed a total of 925 people last month, while also seeing an increase in first time users.

And this is a number that they've predicted to see grow as we head into winter, with people having to choose between 'heating or eating'.

Ruth Allsopp, from Worcester Foodbank explained how a "perfect storm" of factors has led to the increased need for their services.  

She said: "I think it has been a bit of a perfect storm.

"Although the reduction of Universal Credit didn't get officially put in place until October, people are starting to panic, and we do try and get people to be proactive and let us know if they are going to be in crisis soon because we are so busy.

"The rise in fuel costs is also a factor, that always has an impact as we start to move into winter.

"Increasing national insurance payments, the end of furlough and just Covid generally have all had a negative effect, so it is just a perfect storm of different things.

"We are seeing a lot of first-time users, so that shows that these changes are pushing families that were coping before into situation where they are in need of help."

With the end of the temporary £20 Universal Credit uplift coming into effect this month, around 5.5 million claimants will lose up to £1,040 from their yearly allowance.

And Mrs Allsopp has said that with the usual spikes that they experience during the lead up to Christmas anyway, the situation could be set to worsen for many people.

"It always ramps up in in the lead up to Christmas anyway, December is always our busiest month," she added.

"As well as the normal pressures of life you then see your heating bills go up and have to contend with things like Christmas presents as well.

"But again, as well know the cost of food is set to go up because of the recent supply issues and people's energy bills could be set to double regardless of how much they are using.

"So once temperatures really start to drop, we are predicting that things will continue to get worse unfortunately."

The government has announced it will launch the Household Support Fund this month to help those struggling over the winter period.

Grants worth up to £500 million are intended to help struggling families meet costs for daily needs such as food, clothing, and utility bills.

The government has said that local councils will start distributing these from October.

However, while Mrs Allsopp hopes this will help support people in crisis, there is often a delay getting this funding into the pockets of people in need, and currently the client numbers look set to increase again in October. 

You can donate to the Worcester Foodbank by using the following link.