THE hundreds of foodbacks across Britain are expecting their busiest winter since they were first introduced by the Trussell Trust in 2004, the charity revealed yesterday.

Despite government claims that there are now fewer poor people in Britain, the numbers relying on foodbanks continues to soar.

The first two foodbanks opened in 2004. Although the Trussell Trust now runs more than 400, there are many other foodbanks run by other organisations and small groups.

The Trussell Trust said that its foodbanks gave emergency food supplies to 1,109,309 people facing crises in the last year — up from 500,000 in 2013.

One foodbank in Newcastle is one of the busiest in the country, feeding 300 families — up to 1,000 people — a week.

The trust’s foodbank network director Adrian Curtis told the Morning Star: “Trussell Trust foodbanks have always reported that they provide more support to people in winter and we anticipate being exceptionally busy again this year.

“Last year, one mum at a Trussell Trust foodbank on Christmas Eve burst into tears when the volunteers gave her a teddy bear to give to her young son alongside emergency food; she thought she wouldn’t be able to give him anything for Christmas, and the foodbank was able to provide her family with hope, as well as food for her family.

“Sadly, this mum is far from alone. This could be the foodbank network’s busiest Christmas yet, so we would really value any support people can offer as we help stop families and individuals from going hungry this Christmas.”

Winter energy bills contribute to increasing numbers of people using foodbanks, because many are faced with choosing between heating their homes or buying their food.

The Trussell Trust was founded in 1997 by Paddy and Carol Henderson, named after Carol’s mum Betty Trussell, while working with street children in Bulgaria.

The couple’s work spread to Britain after the couple were contacted by a British mother who was struggling to feed her children.