A CARING family is going the extra mile, literally, to ensure food boxes in Rossendale are kept well supplied.

Zach Clayton, 14, helps his mum Kathryn to maintain the food box in Lumb as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award and he also made more than 100 brownies as a special treat for the first birthday of the Rossendale Food Box Scheme.

The Whitworth Community High School Year 9 student said: “Every day, in the evening, I take other food and put it into the food box to make sure that there is sufficient capacity.

“When I decided to make the brownies, I had to estimate how many ingredients I would need, so it was the recipe times 14 as that was how many food boxes I was going to be supplying.”

42 eggs and a car load of ingredients later, nearly seven hours and a massive baking extravaganza and not only had Zach made enough for 12 out of the 14 boxes, he had delivered them too.

He said: “When I was portioning them out, there were a few scraps so I did get to eat the trimmings and it was very good. People also said that they looked good.”

Kathryn is also planning to do her bit to keep the food boxes supplied. She said: “On Saturday April 24, I will be running between 11 food boxes in Rossendale; about 20k.

“I am starting in Lumb, then Whitewell Bottom, Edgeside, over to Pennine and Rockliffe then back to Waterfoot, Staghills, down to Rawtenstall and finishing at Crawshawbooth,

“I ran a 16k this weekend and I expect to finish in 2 hours 20 mins. It is to celebrate the first anniversary of the food boxes being introduced and I will be raising money to ensure that we can keep them stocked.”

She hopes to raise £500 and to sponsor Kathryn’s run visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kathryn-clayton-1