PEOPLE in Bolton are being urged to throw a tea party and brew up in support of an anti-poverty charity.

Tea for Trussell from the Trussell Trust is an opportunity for friends, families and colleagues to get together over a cuppa and cake – to help raise vital funds and end the need for food banks in the UK.

Fundraisers can choose to host an event at home with their nearest and dearest or raise their mugs virtually with loved ones.

The official dates for Tea for Trussell are Monday, June 21- Sunday, July 4, but people can hold their tea party whenever and wherever suits them.

The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of more than 1,300 food bank centres which provides emergency food to people locked in poverty and campaigns for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.

Its food bank centres in Bolton handed out 3,698 emergency food parcels to people facing crisis in the local area between April 2020 and March 2021.

Kate Merrifield, events engagement manager at the Trussell Trust, said: “Hosting your own Tea for Trussell tea party is a brilliant way to bring friends, families and colleagues together this summer, while raising vital funds to end the need for food banks.

“We all know that some of the best conversations happen over brew – which is why a cup of tea is also at the heart of our food bank network. The warm welcome of a cuppa has the power to spark conversation and offer support to people coming into the food bank, while helping to uncover and address the underlying issues of poverty.

“It’s not right that any of us need to use a food bank but we know that this can change. That’s why we’re urging everyone in Bolton to put the kettle on and get their loved ones involved in this exciting event.

“Whether you prefer your tea milky or black, with sugar or without, builders’ brew or a masala chai – anything goes, as long as you’re having fun! Now is the perfect time to raise both a cuppa and donations, so that together we can build a hunger free future.”