Celebrities call for more government action on hunger in the UK - including Levi Roots and Joanna Lumley

Shock figures from anti-poverty charity Trussell revealed more than 1.4million emergency food parcels had been distributed in the last six months.

Over half a million of these have been provided for children, with 63 per cent of the overall number going to households with children under 16.

These numbers are up 69 per cent on five years ago, with the charity also announcing over 270,000 people visited a food bank for the first time, between April and September this year.

Celebrities from music, TV, film and entertainment have since highlighted the issue and called for urgent reform to ensure nobody is experiencing hunger.

Speaking from Westminster this week, where Trussell was campaigning for change, star of TV’s Dragon’s Den and ambassador for the charity Levi Roots, said: “It’s heartbreaking that so many families and children still rely on food parcels in a country like ours.

“It’s a clear call for government action when parents skip meals to keep their kids fed. We need bold, compassionate solutions that make food banks obsolete.

“Policies that tackle the root causes of poverty are needed to ensure every family can afford to put food on the table.”

‘The system needs re-addressing and real change needs to happen - poverty in the UK’

Actor and broadcaster Dame Joanna Lumley added: “It’s deeply troubling to know that so many people in our country are being forced to choose between staying warm and having enough to eat.

“The UK government must step up and guarantee that no one in the UK goes without the essentials they need to live.”

Actor Stanley Tucci, broadcaster Stephen Fry and TV chef Andi Oliver are among those to have contributed to the production of The Hardship Times newspaper, created by the charity to highlight solutions and call on the government to take urgent action.

TV presenter and Trussell ambassador AJ Odudu said: “We need to push for the solutions that will end hunger for good. Whilst the work that food banks do is critical, it shouldn’t be needed.”

Other famous faces including Love Actually star Bill Nighy, comedian Aisling Bea, Ghosts actress Charlotte Ritchie and LadBaby’s Mark Hoyle - who had five Christmas number one singles raising money for the charity – have also voiced their support in pushing for changes to address poverty in the UK.

This week, former Eastenders actress Cheryl Fergison, who played Heather Trott on the soap from 2012-2017, explained how after leaving the show and being unable to work due to illness, she had needed to visit a food bank when unable to afford the essentials: "It is not right that so many emergency food parcels are having to be provided for people as I know from my own personal experience that no-one wants to have to seek support from a food bank.

“Food banks and charities like Trussell do an amazing job in helping communities and people in need.

"It shouldn’t have to be this way though; people shouldn’t have to hit rock bottom before they are able to get the support that they need.

“No one should be in this position, whether on benefits or working, because wages do not reflect the high cost of living. The struggle is real for so many.

"The system needs re-addressing and real change needs to happen.”

‘Heartbreaking that so many families and children still rely on food parcels in a country like ours’

Emma Revie, chief executive of Trussell added: “The highlighting of this issue from so many famous faces continues to show that there is consensus across the board that our social security system is falling short.

“It must be urgently updated if it is to protect people from hardship.

“The sheer numbers of people still facing hunger and hardship across the UK is heartbreaking.

“This cannot go on and we refuse to stand by while so many of us are pushed to the brink, left without enough money to live on.

“Our food banks are a lifeline, offering a warm welcome and space to be heard.

“They need everyone to play their part to move us towards ending the need for emergency food in the UK.

“You can help make sure food banks can continue to provide warm, compassionate, practical support and advice this winter by volunteering, donating, fundraising or campaigning to help end hunger in the UK.”