Prince and Princess of Wales offer to help church foodbank in Swansea which had produce stolen
The vicar at St Thomas Church, Swansea, said Their Royal Highnesses "made everybody feel incredibly loved and cared for" when they visited the centre last year.
Thursday 8 June 2023 13:49, UK
The Prince and Princess of Wales have offered to help a church foodbank which had its stock allegedly stolen.
Their Royal Highnesses visited St Thomas Church in Swansea last September and have now reached out to the church after a recent break-in.
Every Saturday volunteers pack bags which are stored at a hall next door ready to be distributed at the food bank from Monday to Friday.
The vicar told Sky News he felt "sad" and "distressed" that someone thought stealing from the food bank was "their only option".
"On Monday morning we went to collect those bags to find that the bags had been stolen as had the rest of the food, some baby toys, some cans of drink from our tuck shop and a bike that had been donated for a family as well," said Reverend Steven Bunting.
While the church had been "inundated" with phone calls in the last 48 hours, on Wednesday Rev Bunting received a very special call.
"I had a voicemail from the Prince and Princess of Wales's household asking me to call them when I could because Their Royal Highnesses were keen to find out ways that they could immediately help us get back to doing what we have been doing here which they saw when they visited," he said.
"So I called back and had that conversation and they were very keen to try and support us immediately."
The Prince and Princess of Wales had left a lasting impression on the church community after their visit, according to the vicar.
"They made everybody feel incredibly loved and cared for," he added.
"They spent a huge amount of time here chatting to every single person and the feelings we had when they left were reinforced yesterday with that conversation."
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Rev Bunting appealed for those responsible to come forward.
"We're not going to haul them over the coals, we'd love to have a chat and work out how we can make their lives a bit better."