British charities have joined up with Great British Bake Off star Kim-Joy to highlight poverty in the UK on Shrove Tuesday.
Girls' Brigade groups throughout England and Wales are running Big Pancake Parties with Church Urban Fund (CUF) to help fight food poverty.
According to CUF, one in eight British adults say they are anxious about not being able to afford food. The charity says that all across the country there are children going to school hungry and parents skipping meals so their children can eat an evening meal.
Nearly a million adults use a food bank every year in Britain and five per cent of British adults say they regularly miss a meal as they cannot afford to eat.
This year Girls' Brigade England and Wales (GBEW) is joing CUF's Together Network of churches, schools and families to run pancake parties.
Funds raised will support initiatives around the country such as 'holiday hunger' schemes, which provide free lunches for children during the summer holidays when the lack of free school meals means children often go hungry, 'Community Fridges', where surplus food is made available to those who need it, low-cost community food outlets at churches and running food banks.
Great British Bake Off finalist from 2018, Kim-Joy, has added her support. She said: 'I've joined the Big Pancake Party because I don't want to just take for granted that I have food every day – I want to help other people who don't have that.
'It's so sad to think that there are people who are hungry, that's a basic need. I think the Together Network does some amazing work – it's not just about giving people a package of food, they empower people."
GBEW president Rachel Gardner said: 'The best recipes are made up of great ingredients that work brilliantly together. Take the much-loved pancake and throw in some creative young people and enthusiastic leaders who care for their community, and you get an unforgettable event that eats away at food poverty. I know that many GB groups will take up the challenge of the Big Pancake Party and stand up to food poverty. Let's have fun and make a difference!'
To find out how to run a Big Pancake Party or donate to the campaign click here.
