The Coalition for the Protection of Children has given its thanks to the island’s Catholic churches, who rallied last month for what founder Sheelagh Cooper called “one of our single biggest donations of food”.

Churchgoers from six parishes donated breakfast food items to assist with the Coalition’s school breakfast programme, with the help of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is the island’s recognised Roman Catholic charity, and chairwoman Joanne Judd said the group had decided to take action after a June 2016 article in The Royal Gazette highlighted the pressure on the breakfast programme from rising need.

The collected donations were enough to fill an entire room at St Theresa’s Cathedral Hall.

“Our Catholic parishioners are always extremely generous to any project that they are asked to contribute to,” Ms Judd said. “We were very happy to collaborate with the coalition for this purpose.”

n About 200 people were able to get free hot meals at a post-Christmas and New Year dinner. The event at the Open Door Christian Assembly Church Hall in Southside was organised by police officers from the Eastern Community Action Team, St George’s Parish Council and Kenny’s Kitchen.

It was open to members of the St George’s and St David’s communities, with a meal delivery service laid on for those who could not attend.