A HOMEBUILDER has managed to gather an 'overwhelming' amount of donations at its temporary food bank collection point in time for Christmas.

Taylor Wimpey Manchester invited residents to drop off donations of food and essential items at its Pennington Wharf development in Leigh before handing them over to homeless charity The Brick, who will give them to people in need.

There were more than £200 worth of items donated at the site which comprised a range of food including festive treats such as mince pies and advent calendars, as well as nappies and other baby products.

Fundraising and business engagement manager at The Brick Janet Mitchell said: “We are overwhelmed by the number of donations.

"These small acts of kindness for members of the community will make a huge difference to our clients over the festive period.

"We are very grateful to Taylor Wimpey for offering to host this foodbank and would like a say a huge thank you to all those who donated."

The Brick provides advice and support for families and individuals in crisis who may have been affected by issues such as violence, homelessness or debt.

The charity's food bank is the largest in the Wigan area and hands out more than 10,000 items every year with that number expected to exceed 12,000 in 2017.

Sales and marketing director for Taylor Wimpey Manchester Chloe Dunn added: “The foodbank was hugely popular.

"The community at Pennington Wharf and the local area really pulled together to show their support for those less fortunate and we are proud to be building in an area that looks out for one another as much as Leigh does.

“We also had a collection point at head office which received a lot of donations.

“We hope that these contributions will make Christmas a little easier and happier for those in need.”