Largs Food Bank volunteers have raised fears that families are ‘falling through the gaps’ in support as shock figures show a huge rise in children living in low-income families in the area.

Figures from the Department of Work and Pensions have highlighted the number of children aged 16 and under living in relative and absolute low income families across the North Coast and Cumbraes.

In 2021 that figure was 232 children, but a year later the number has risen to 329, the highest over the past seven years.

Wendy Thomson from the foodbank reveals there has been a sharp rise in the number of families using the vital service every week.

She said: “We have a lot more families coming to us for support, as well as people who are working but their incomes are too low to sustain themselves.

“The cost-of-living crisis has disappeared from the public eye but the problems are still very much there for a lot of people.

“More than ever we have low-income couples or families coming to us for help, who have a job but are simply not paid enough to keep up with their bills.

“We are able to offer these people a basic package of goods but can’t give them the full support when they’re earning a wage.”

Wendy believes these kinds of people are falling through cracks in support, as they are not able to show proof of benefits despite needing the support.

She explained: “The way we operate now is that you have to show proof of benefits to get the full package of good.

“We only started to do this during the pandemic because we found out people were taking items when they didn’t actually need them.

“People may be struggling big time but if they actually have a job then they can’t get the same support as someone who is unemployed.

“That system is not great for people on a low income, and I think something needs to change otherwise these people aren’t getting the support required.”

Wendy says that despite continuing support for the service from the local community, fresh food from allotments and growing spaces will be crucial for the foodbank moving forward.

She added: “It’s vital we become more self-sustainable in our own town, and we’ve got a couple of growing projects on the go to help with that.

“It would be massive for the foodbank to be able to give our homegrown fruits and vegetables to users perhaps struggling to access fresh food.”