More than a tonne of food has been collected to help Oswestry’s poorest residents this Christmas – but red-tape means some of it can’t be handed out.

Volunteers from Oswestry Foodbank today said piles of donated tins, cereals and festive treats may be left untouched because those in need do not have referral forms filled in correctly by associated agencies.

Now the race is on to make sure people receive food for Christmas.

The Oswestry public has donated the goods to the foodbank set up in the Kingswell Centre to help feed poverty-hit residents during the current economic climate.

Helpers put parcels together with a selection of groceries which can feed people for up to three days at a time.

The foodbank relies on agencies such as Citizens’ Advice Bureau and social services passing on people to them as referrals and they have had to turn people away who have not got the right forms.

Gillian Richards, a co-ordinator of the foodbank, said volunteers had ‘pulled out all the stops’ to get the food bank ready for Christmas.

But she said they could only give out food if people had the relevant referral forms and added she was trying to contact a number of organisations to chase up paperwork.

She said: “We have got so many people in distress and going without before Christmas and this is why we pulled out all the stops to get it open.

“We have to be set up with the agencies and the charities that deal with the people in need.

“If people turn up on the doorstep we ask if they are under an agency and if they don’t have the form we are a bit stuck.

“We have to rely on referrals from the agencies.”

The food bank was set up by a team of trustees, and representatives from Churches Together Oswestry District group have teamed up with charity Trussell Trust, which helps to tackle poverty and create the town service.

The foodbank scheme has had a £5,000 donation to help with an application for charitable status.

There are around 100 Trussell Trust food banks across the country, and volunteers at each one ask shoppers to add an extra item to their basket to donate to the bank.