A new manager is in place at Cirencester Foodbank.

Rachel Brindley, who has been the foodbank’s project manager for six years, is moving to take up a new career challenge in the private sector.

During her tenure Rachel has witnessed a steady growth in demand for the services, which the foodbank provides through its staff team - ably assisted by more than 200 local volunteers.

She has been instrumental in establishing the processes required to meet that demand, initially through the distribution centres in Cirencester, Tetbury and Fairford, and latterly, during the pandemic, through a home delivery service.

In the year to end of March 2021, demand increased by 35 per cent, with some 6,839 emergency food parcels being provided to people in the South Cotswolds – 3,461 of these went to children.

The new head of the foodbank, Anton Wynn, joins from his previous role as Mission and Outreach Layworker at Cirencester Ashcroft Church and Centre where he was responsible since 2018 for identifying and meeting needs of the community and for developing Ashcroft as a community hub.

Anton hails from the South Cotswolds and was educated at Marling School and Cirencester College and has a BA Degree in Youth and Community Work from Bristol Baptist College.

Chair of Cirencester Foodbank, Anne Currie, said: “We are extremely grateful to Rachel for her inspirational management of the foodbank through some challenging times and are sorry to see her go; we wish her every success in her next career steps.

“We are very fortunate to have secured the services of Anton, a highly-regarded and experienced lay worker in the Cirencester community, and we look forward to working with him to combat food poverty in our community.”

Cirencester Foodbank has been providing emergency food and support to local people since 2012. Based at Cirencester Baptist Church, it is part of The Trussell Trust network.