A couple who own a club in a leafy Salford suburb have turned their building into a food bank to help struggling families during the pandemic.

Janine and Ken Bailey have managed the Boothstown Royal British Legion Club on Victoria Street for the last 12 years but have been forced to close during lockdown.

Instead, they have used the large function room in the building to store piles of donated food, which is being distributed to people who need it.

At the moment, the pair are helping as many as 25 families by delivering bags of food and essentials twice a week.

But, Janine explained, there is a worryingly large number of people who are relying on the service. Many of them have lost their jobs, she says, and often have families to feed.

"It's been difficult because people are proud and they don't always want other people to known that they need help," she said.

"Boothstown is a nice place. It's a really lovely area - people don't expect this sort of thing to be needed here'.

"It's been really sad as well, it's had me in tears at times with how tough this has been for people's families.

"But if we can help then we should."

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Having been seriously ill with Covid herself during the first wave of the pandemic, Janine says she knows how big an impact the disease can have.

However, it has not stopped local people from stepping in to help with the food bank by donating whatever they can.

"We've got a big function room that we can't use," she added.

"So a couple of days after we were closed for the lockdown I thought I would ask people if they thought a food bank was a good idea and we got loads of responses saying yes.

"There are some really really kind people out there. You wouldn't believe the things they bring every day to us. We get fresh fruit and all the food we need."

Janine admits being surprised by how many people need help with food in Boothstown.

"There are a lot of people that are losing their jobs and especially if you have a big family its' so hard to get by," she explained.

"People say to us, 'We can't tell you what you've done, there's so much pressure on us at moment."