Byerley Road pre-school has been collecting cans for the 1,000 can challenge.

About 80-100 children, which included two-year olds, spent five weeks collecting tinned food to give to the Shildon Alive! foodbanks which nourish people who are unable to feed themselves due to illness or financial difficulty.

So far, the children have collected 139 cans and their efforts were matched by schools and nurseries across Shildon including Timothy Hackworth Primary School, which raised 408 cans.

The school donations were complemented by the efforts of St John’s Youthy, who collected 700 tins at a bag pack in Morrisons.

The appeal brought in more than double the amount it had originally set out to achieve and the cans were gathered in St John’s Church on Friday 23rd October for the Harvest Festival, which took place on Sunday 25th October.

“Some of the stories I hear are horrendous,” said a Shildon Alive spokesperson about disadvantaged residents in Shildon. “People broken down by circumstances beyond their control, people who never thought it would happen to them. Thank you everyone for caring.”

Reverend David Tomlinson commented, “Shildon people really have got what it takes when it comes to being generous.”