Southampton shoppers can support families in financial difficulty this Easter by purchasing extra donation bags at Tesco.

Between April 7 and April 20, pre-packed bags containing healthy, long-life food items will be available to buy at large Tesco stores in and around Southampton.

Claire De Silva, the head of communities at Tesco, said: "With the lack of free school meal provision during the holidays, we know that families find it difficult to make ends meet and give their kids nutritious meals.

"Our pre-packed donation bags will give a much-needed top-up to food charities FareShare and Trussell and make a difference to the lives of thousands of children and their families."

The Easter Holiday Helps initiative is part of Tesco’s Stronger Starts campaign, which supports schoolchildren year-round.

Each donation will help support FareShare, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity, and Trussell, which has seen a 94 per cent increase in demand for emergency food parcels over the past five years.