THE postmaster at a village shop near Andover is set to be the face of a new campaign from the Post Office and the Trussell Trust, aimed at raising funds for foodbanks across the country.

Leslie Francis, who runs Enham Village Post Office and Store with her husband Tim, has been asked to front the Post Office’s ‘Help Fight Hunger’ campaign, which sees them partner with the Trussell Trust to give 1p from every over-the-counter cash withdrawal to help fight hunger and poverty in the UK.

He store, along with other Post Offices across the UK, will not only be raising funds for the charity, but also awareness, with leslie already featuring in promotional material.

She told the Advertiser: “I am privileged to be the face of that. Thank you, to my customers, for their support.

“And I must say what a marvellous job the foodbank do!”

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Leslie, who has been at the store for more than 17 years, has fostered a strong relationship with Andover foodbank, to make sure sure the community is helping them in the ways they need.

“We have always been the local dop-off point for Trussell Trust foodbank,” she said. “During 2020, amidst the shortages and panic-buying, it’s fair to say we made the difference to them because I was able to outsource products hey couldn’t get.

“People come in, they buy something, and they put it in the food bank box. On a Tuesday [the foodbank] let us know what they are short of so, with the funds people give me, I can buy what they need. It’s a brilliant working relationship that we have had.”

Jenny LeLean, manager of Andover foodbank, added: “The Andover foodbank is a community based project and we rely on having places for people to donate food throughout our area. However, we also need safe spaces for people to access help. Our partnership with Leslie at Enham Village Post Office and Stores does just that. While being a key donation point it also provides opportunities for people to ask questions, start conversations and pick up information about how the foodbank is there for them as well.

“In a time when more and more people are needing our help, this community space is very important to our ability to reach everyone in need so we are very grateful for Leslie’s support.”

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Commenting on the wider campaign, she continued: “The overall campaign is a great way to raise awareness for the rising need of foodbanks within our communities. Having supported more people than ever over Christmas the need within our community is high and with rising costs of living and ongoing consequences of the pandemic we are not expecting this to change soon.

“We were delighted to have the opportunity to participate with Leslie and the Post Office in this campaign and support the wider work of the Trussell Trust who are determined to help end the need for foodbanks in the UK.”

Leslie features in a Youtube video promoting the cause, with the Post Office saying more information about the campaign will be available early next month. You can view the video here: https://youtu.be/we5PcaVyu9Y

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