A charity which has grown to become one of Borehamwood’s most vital services for people in need, is now in a need of some support itself.

Sheila and John Carlisle, who run Gratitude, along with their small army of volunteers, are on the look-out for a new space to run their foodbank which is helping hundreds of families.

The couple have been giving away tonnes of food everyday from their base in Allum Hall over the Covid-19 pandemic with more and more families relying on Gratitude’s generosity and hard work.

But award-winning Gratitude’s spell at Allum Hall, which was given to them for free, has come to an end because the hall has new bookings.

Mrs Carlisle says Gratitude wants to continue to provide for the community in Borehamwood but that is reliant on having a permanent place to operate from.

They have enquired at community centres and church halls but have said these places already have regular bookings.

Borehamwood Times:

Sheila Carlisle, right, at Gratitude's previous base in Allum Hall

They have been at the Royal British Legion but it is too small to work in, especially with social distancing, and often leads to queues outside of people waiting to get in.

A permanent solution is potentially on the horizon later this year but Gratitude need a temporary space right now – a relatively large empty shop, a warehouse, or a building that may not be in use at this current time.

Gratitude may even be able to get a grant to pay a sum of money towards having a space for the time that they need it.

Mrs Carlisle said: "It’s very important that we find somewhere to operate from. We are still collecting five tonnes of food a day.

"Loads of families rely on this – we have 100 families coming sometimes and then another 200 families where we drop off food.

"Hundreds of families may be without access to food if we don’t have a facility."

If you can help Gratitude find a new space to operate from, email sheilacarlisle.gratitude@gmail.com