A lorry driver from Co Tyrone has rallied his colleagues to raise money for local food banks ahead of this Christmas.
Nigel Kelly from Strabane runs a popular Facebook group for HGV drivers across Northern Ireland, and says many doing the job are acutely aware of the difficulties coming with the cost of living crisis.
Local food banks are preparing for increased demand this winter as the price of energy and fuel bills remain high.
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Nigel is raising funds for the local food bank in Strabane, along with fellow coordinators Andy Mcfarland and Neville Bann who are raising money for their own local community food banks in Newtownabbey and Lisburn.
“We run a free HGV jobs page for drivers on Facebook, and we’ve done some good things in the past where we were able to get better meals for drivers on the ferries and things like that.
“We are able to help people looking for work and employers looking for drivers so we have built up a bit of a community among drivers here.
“The three of us are involved in that which can get the day in sometimes when you are at work.
“I took the notion to ring the local food bank in Strabane for a Christmas appeal and they were delighted when I did.
“We all wanted to do something for your own community, and I couldn’t believe how grateful they were in the food bank even though we hadn’t raised a penny yet. It meant the world to them.”
The fundraiser has already raised over £1,300 and Nigel says there is more to go as people are in need of help from food banks more than ever.
He added:“It’s something from us truckers to give a wee bit back, we have thousands of drivers in that group. we have thousands of drivers in that group.
“Many of those drivers have struggled at some point in their lives and with the way things are the minute many of them have worries over their own jobs.
“Everybody is struggling at the minute and I’m sure everyone knows somebody who needs help so it’s a way of providing some help to our local communities.”
If you would like to donate to Nigel's fundraiser you can visit his page here.
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