A WIRRAL charity is urging more food producers to donate their surplus stock so it can help people in need.

FareShare North Wales and Wirral opened in March last year and receives in date surplus food from manufacturers, producers and retail suppliers.

Last year they redistributed enough surplus food to create almost half-a-million nutritious meals for people in need in the borough.

The charity redistributes it to more than 48 local frontline charities and community groups including homeless shelters, women's refuges and breakfast clubs.

The food then gets transformed into nutritious meals which the charity provide along with life changing support to help people get back on their feet.

Mark Hall, Merseyside development manager at FareShare Wirral, said: "It's amazing to think that little more than a year ago we'd yet to open our doors and now we’re redistributing enough food to provide almost half-a-million vulnerable people with a square meal every single year.

"It's an incredible achievement, and one that wouldn't be possible without the support of our volunteers, and of course our suppliers.

"One in nine people live in food poverty in the UK and the more surplus food we get, the more meals we can provide to people that would otherwise go hungry.

"It really is as simple as that.

"When you use the word 'waste', people think of mouldy potato peelings or out-of-date chicken, but nothing could be further from the truth.

"The food we redistribute is in-date, safe to eat and extremely high quality.

"Not only does surplus food save charities a significant amount of money – but good food makes people feel valued – like they're worth something".

One of the charities who benefits from the scheme is Vale House Community Café in New Brighton, which holds a pensioner's lunch club and pre-school play group.

Ian Shorthall, Vale House director said: "Working with FareShare has improved everything at the centre, it has made a massive difference.

"It's always exciting when we receive the delivery as the food is different every time.

"We save so much money on our food expenditure, which can be reinvested back into the day-to-day running of the centre.

"And we can give out much bigger portions now".