The penultimate winners of the West Leeds Hero award for this week are Angela and Philip McConnell, who have been recognised for the work they do with Bramley Care Bears.
A few weeks ago, it was calculated that they had supported 416 families with free food – that’s 1,200 individuals – since 2 April 2020.
Angela and Philip have held food banks every week during lockdown – at Bramley Community Centre and at Fairfield Community Centre – as well as delivering food parcels on Bramley Elderly Action’s minibus each week.
It’s almost a full-time job for them, sourcing and collecting food from local supermarkets, organising the space, finding freezer space around the area and coordinating spatially distanced food distribution using a booking system.
Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves said:
“They have worked tirelessly throughout these past months, supporting community members with food during the pandemic and lockdown. An inspiration to us all. Thank you Philip and Angela for your outstanding contribution to our local community.”