Thousands of people have found themselves on the breadline though the covid-19 pandemic – and not just those who had been struggling before coronavirus struck.

A number of those affected have lost their jobs, had their pay cut or have even been forced into isolation for their own safety.

The government locked the country down in March, which meant only those classed as essential workers could continue to leave home for work.

And although this was for the health and safety of public, with the aim of stopping the coronavirus in its tracks, it left thousands of people unable to feed their families.

In Carlisle, the Carlisle Covid-19 Community Help Group was set up and was soon inundated with calls for help.

Lisa Brown and Karen Lockney have been at the helm of the group but insist they would rather they did not have to do this type of work as there should be an emergency options in place. Throughout they have rallied hundreds of volunteers and given the community somewhere to go for help in their hour of need.

Working round the clock, the pair have reached out to businesses and the public to help those struggling, Lisa Brown, one of the organisers said: “It’s comforting to know people are not struggling now, but where will this end? People are just not managing.

“The government needs to look at the root cause of this situation – food poverty is not new. Everyone has the right to food.”

Karen Lockney said: “We would rather not be doing this. We have the fifth-largest economy – it’s a disgrace that this has become a regular part of people’s lives.

“Providing a food hub or food bank is like sticking a plaster over a wound.”

Worried how the city will recover Mrs Brown said: “We’re built on a low wage economy and jobs are insecure. We need to look at a new way of how it works.

“People who are struggling are not just people on benefits – a lot of people who have asked for help have been furloughed from work, lost their income or even their job as a result of Covid-19. These people were just scraping by.”

Convinced it is not just the pandemic that has caused such a huge need for the food hub Mrs Brown added: “The benefits system is broken, it’s just not working at the moment. It’s just about managing the vulnerable.

“We’re worried about what will happen when the furlough scheme comes to an end in October.

“Many businesses will not be re-opening and we are only just seeing the effect that is having on our communities.”

People who are self-employed have also been left with no direction with a vast amount of people missing out of the government support, she added. “Small businesses are just not going to survive. They don’t have enough of a voice and it’s those people who have missed out on grants.”