FOOD cupboard volunteers in West Somerset are waiting to see how they may be impacted by a new charity backed by King Charles.

The King marked his 75th birthday by launching the Coronation Food Project to ‘bridge the gap between food waste and food need’ across the UK, ‘helping people and helping the planet’.

A spokesperson said: “The project aims to support the 13 million people in the UK experiencing food insecurity by targeting all forms of waste in the food supply chain and building on the food industry’s existing initiatives to redistribute surplus food to charities.

“We want to work with the food industry and food charities to support the amazing efforts of many organisations, large and small, working to reduce food waste and food insecurity.”

Now, the West Somerset Food Cupboard (WSFC) has met representatives of Somerset’s other eight pantries, Somerset Council officers, and supplier Fareshare South West managers, to hear what was in the pipeline for future supplies given the coronation charity launch.

It comes after Somerset Lord Lieutenant Mohammed Saddiq last month presented the West Somerset charity with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

WSFC operations co-ordinator Ali Sanderson said: “We do not celebrate the fact that there is a need for a food support charity like ours in this community, or any achievements in relation to the services we provide, but we do celebrate the fact that, while that need exists, there are people willing to give their time, funds, and food to meet that need.”