STAFF at a Runcorn animal hospital have donated more than 30kg of items to a local foodbank.

Three collection boxes were arranged at Linnaeus-owned Northwest Veterinary Specialists (NWVS) and thanks to the team effort they have collected enough food that equates to 87 meals for those who need it.

The donations have been given to Runcorn and District Foodbank as it supports the community.

Lauren Bate, veterinary physiotherapist at NWVS, spearheaded the collection as part of World Food Day which highlights worldwide awareness of hunger and how the changing planet affects food production and distribution.

Lauren said: “We felt that donating to our local foodbank was a nice way to mark World Food Day which took place recently.

“Donations went really well and it was a fantastic team effort to collect more than 30kgs of food. We had three collection boxes split across three buildings, so my thanks goes to my colleagues for supporting this cause.

“In fact, it was such a success that I’m sure we will run collections again in the future. NWVS runs various events that supports both people, wildlife and the planet as part of our ‘Environmental Business Leads Team’.”

Runcorn and District Foodbank opened in 2012 under the name of Runcorn Foodbank which was later changed to encompass the other surrounding areas it serves.

It relies on the support of the local community through volunteering, food donations and fundraising.

NWVS is one of the UK’s leading specialist-led animal hospitals. It offers care in anaesthesia and analgesia, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery. For more information on Northwest Veterinary Specialists, visit www.nwspecialists.com or search for Northwest Veterinary Specialists on social media.

For more information on Runcorn and District Foodbank, visit runcorndistrict.foodbank.org.uk/.