Big Brother’s AJ Odudu leads stars calling for government to take action over hunger issue in UK

BIG Brother’s AJ Odudu is starring a big of stars calling for the authorities to instrumentality enactment implicit hunger issues successful the UK.

Presenter AJ, 36, on with cook Levi Roots, 66, and histrion Joanna Lumley, 78, are among dozens of celebrated faces highlighting the struggles faced by millions of families.

Shock figures from anti-poverty foundation Trussell revealed much than 1.4 cardinal exigency nutrient parcels had been distributed successful the past six months.

Over fractional a cardinal of these person been provided for children, with 63 per cent of the wide fig going to households with children nether 16.

These numbers are up 69 per cent connected 5 years ago, with the foundation besides announcing implicit 270,000 radical visited a nutrient slope for the archetypal time, betwixt April and September this year.

Celebrities from music, TV, film, and amusement person since highlighted the contented and called for urgent betterment to guarantee cipher is experiencing hunger.

Speaking from Westminster this week, wherever Trussell were campaigning for change, prima of Dragon’s Den and ambassador for the foundation Levi said: “It’s heartbreaking that truthful galore families and children inactive trust connected nutrient parcels successful a state similar ours.

“It’s a wide telephone for authorities enactment erstwhile parents skip meals to support their kids fed. We request bold, compassionate solutions that marque nutrient banks obsolete.

“Policies that tackle the basal causes of poorness are needed to guarantee each household tin spend to enactment nutrient connected the table.”

Dame Joanna added: “It’s profoundly troubling to cognize that truthful galore radical successful our state are being forced to take betwixt staying lukewarm and having capable to eat.

“The UK authorities indispensable measurement up and warrant that nary 1 successful the UK goes without the essentials they request to live.”

Actor Stanley Tucci, broadcaster Stephen Fry, and TV cook Andi Oliver are among those to person contributed to the accumulation of The Hardship Times newspaper, created by the foundation to item solutions and telephone connected the authorities to instrumentality urgent action.

TV presenter and Trussell ambassador AJ said: “We request to propulsion for the solutions that volition extremity hunger for good. Whilst the enactment that nutrient banks bash is critical, it shouldn’t beryllium needed.”

Other celebrated faces including Love Actually prima Bill Nighy, comedian Aisling Bea, Ghosts histrion Charlotte Ritchie, and LadBaby’s Mark Hoyle - who had 5 Christmas fig one singles raising wealth for the foundation – person besides voiced their enactment successful pushing for changes to code poorness successful the UK.

This week, erstwhile EastEnders histrion Cheryl Fergison, who played Heather Trott connected the soap from 2012-2017, explained however aft leaving the amusement and being incapable to enactment owed to illness, she had needed to sojourn a nutrient slope erstwhile incapable to spend the essentials.

She said: "It is not close that truthful galore exigency nutrient parcels are having to beryllium provided for radical arsenic I cognize from my ain idiosyncratic acquisition that no-one wants to person to question enactment from a nutrient bank.

“Food banks and charities similar Trussell bash an astonishing occupation successful helping communities and radical successful need.

"It shouldn’t person to beryllium this mode though; radical shouldn’t person to deed stone bottommost earlier they are capable to get the enactment that they need.

“No 1 should beryllium successful this position, whether connected benefits oregon working, due to the fact that wages bash not bespeak the precocious cost of living. The conflict is existent for truthful many.

"The strategy needs re-addressing and existent alteration needs to happen.”

Emma Revie, main enforcement of Trussell, added: “The highlighting of this contented from truthful galore celebrated faces continues to amusement that determination is statement crossed the committee that our societal information strategy is falling short.

“It indispensable beryllium urgently updated if it is to support radical from hardship.

“The sheer numbers of radical inactive facing hunger and hardship crossed the UK is heartbreaking.

“This cannot spell connected and we garbage to basal by portion truthful galore of america are pushed to the brink, near without capable wealth to unrecorded on.

“Our nutrient banks are a lifeline, offering a lukewarm invited and abstraction to beryllium heard.

“They request everyone to play their portion to determination america towards ending the request for exigency nutrient successful the UK.

“You tin assistance marque definite nutrient banks tin proceed to supply warm, compassionate, applicable enactment and proposal this wintertime by volunteering, donating, fundraising oregon campaigning to assistance extremity hunger successful the UK.”