AN Evesham cheese distributor is doing his bit for customers, frontline support workers and the vulnerable.

Like many other food retailers, Adrian Nichols, director of Elmley Sales and Marketing (a distributor for The Truckle Cheese Company), looks set to lose around 80 per cent of his income this year, following the cancellation of the food and countryside shows where he sells his cheese.

But Adrian says it’s more important now, than it has ever been, for businesses to pull together and get food out to people in the community at large.

The Truckle Cheese Company has donated truckles to Evesham’s food bank and Offenham’s Meals on Wheels service for the elderly and the vulnerable.

Earlier this month, Mr Nichols joined forces with Feli’s Bar & Restaurant at Stoulton, supplying caramelised onion cheddar for chef Felice Tocchini to make 50 hot pasta meals for the Worcester Street Café which feeds the homeless. The pair repeated the initiative on Thursday.

The Truckle Cheese Company, which has its headquarters in Cambridge, has donated £5,000 worth of cheese to NHS hospitals, support hospitals, and key workers in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Cambridgeshire, Surrey, London, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Adrian said: “Even in financially challenging times, it’s not just about sales and orders – it’s about getting food out to communities, and we’re proud to be making a difference by keeping people sustained where others can’t.

"Every day I’m hearing that foodbanks are seeing a rise in referrals and a huge hike in demand compared to last year. Donations are decreasing, just as more people are coming to them for the first time, following reduced income and in some cases job losses. It’s a real struggle to provide for everyone, and we want to help.

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"It’s also about boosting morale of course, for those who are battling to save lives on the frontline. After a long and stressful shift, we hope they can relax and unwind with a bit of cheese and a glass of their favourite tipple!"

Jason Levy, head of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity, said: “Thank you so much for your wonderful donations to Gloucester and Cheltenham Hospitals and Gloucestershire Constabulary, and Tewkesbury Fields Care Home!

"I know these are only a few of the people and care workers you have donated to – all those heroes on the front line involved in helping all of us through this horrendous pandemic. Organisations like you are doing an absolutely fantastic job to make them feel special, valued and appreciated, in return for doing such selfless, vital work and risking their own lives. Well done Truckle Cheese.”