A primary school teacher has been praised for walking five miles each day to deliver packed lunches to disadvantaged children during the coronavirus lockdown.
Zane Powles, from Grimsby, brings 78 packed lunches each morning to children who qualify for free school meals – each containing a sandwich, a crisps packet, a biscuit or cake, and an apple.
Mr Powles, the assistant headteacher of Western Primary School, says the discomfort of carrying all the lunches does not compare to the ordeal faced by families forced to stay at home due to the lockdown.
“It encourages parents to stay in their homes with their children, and keeps everyone safe,” he said.
Mr Powles, a former soldier and fitness enthusiast, uses his daily rounds to check on the welfare of some children, and has quick chats with many of the families who are otherwise isolated.
At each house, Mr Powles leaves the lunch on the doorstep, knocks on the door, and retreats to the pavement.
The food and bags are provided by the school’s catering contractor. Lunch deliveries are continuing through what would normally be the Easter holidays.
Claire Pulfrey was full of praise after her children’s lunches were dropped off.
"It helps a lot because it means we don't have to go out to the shops all the time to get food in for the kids, so we can keep our families safer," she told Sky News.
After three weeks of daily food deliveries, Mr Powles has somewhat become a local hero on the estate.
Several colourful posters have been put up praising him – with one reading “Well done Mr Powles". On a nearby wall a child’s chalked tribute reads in 18-inch high capital letters: "LEGEND!! MR POWELS".
Western Primary School’s executive head, Kim Leach, takes packed lunches in her car to children who live further away.
She considers it a vital service, explaining: "I suspect there'll be a fair few of our families that have got very little food."
Four out of 10 of the almost 300 children at Western Primary School are classed as disadvantaged, in an area that has some of the worst deprivation in the country.
Mr Powles disagrees when people call him a hero. “I’m not,” he told BBC News, “It’s just my job.”
