Each year, the team at Executive Business Support Ltd votes for a local community charity to support.

This year Lichfield foodbank is the winning charity.

After the success of our Snowdon and Scafell Pike climbs in 2017 and 2018, this year sees the finale of our 'Three Peaks in Three Years' challenge. The mountain we will be conquering on Saturday 25th May will be Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in the United Kingdom (gulp!). This is a huge feat for us but one that is for a very good cause.

Lichfield? We hear you say. Surely Lichfield being a relatively affluent area doesn’t require food support?! That’s where we are completely wrong!

Since opening its doors in March 2014, Lichfield foodbank has collected and distributed over 365,000 meals to people in food poverty in Lichfield and in the surrounding areas. In 2018 Lichfield foodbank fed 1458 clients of whom 980 were adults and 478 children. In addition, 282 Christmas dinner bags were issued on 21st December 2018 to those in need in Lichfield.

So far in 2019, the foodbank has supported 429 people in need: 309 adults and 120 children. These people are from all parts of Lichfield and the nearby villages. There is no part of Lichfield that hasn't needed foodbank support.

The main causes of need result from benefit delays and changes (this includes Universal Credit), low income, delayed wages, debt and sickness. Here are a couple of real life scenarios:

Recipient A : Has two children and is employed but on a zero hours’ contract. For two months the hours have been low and so they now have to choose between food and heating.

Recipient B : They have moved to Universal Credit which has incurred weeks of delay. They need to buy school uniforms, cannot afford heating and their cupboards are bare.

Please support us in our extremely hard 2019 challenge of climbing Ben Nevis to raise vital funds for the Lichfield foodbank. Thank you so much!