A MAN affectionately known as "Mr Foodbank" in Middlesbrough is stepping down after three years.

Colleagues paid tribute to Nigel Perrott as he stood down from the foodbank he helped set up in September 2012.

It was Middlesbrough's first foodbank, and has fed 8,500 people in the last three years, 3,000 of whom are children.

The community worker, who moved from Oxford to Middlesbrough in 2010, hands over the reins to Soroush Sadeghzadeh as he moves on to try to be selected as a Methodist Minister.

The charity, based at St Cuthbert's Centre near the Newport roundabout, began with a small number of boxes of donated food in a temporary store and has grown to stock over 10,000 tonnes of food in its permanent depot.

It has developed distribution centres across the town and works with hundreds of churches and organisations to collect and distribute food and takes referrals from 75 agencies that rely on the charity to offer support to people in crisis.

Every week around 120 people receive emergency food parcels to help them through a difficult time in their life.

Mr Perrott said most had been hit by benefit sanctions.

"We hear harrowing stories every week," he said. "Most of those who are helped by the foodbank are families with children. Benefit sanctions often affect those who have no control over it - it is the kids that suffer."

Heather Black, Chair of Trustees of Middlesbrough Foodbank, said: “From the very beginning Nigel has been the public face of the charity and we have often joked about him being known as ‘Mr Foodbank’.

"Nigel was willing to roll up his sleeves and take the vision for a Foodbank through early fragile beginnings to a well-established and respected charity in the town."

Mr Sadeghzadeh has previous experience of working with people in need through Open Door North East, which works with asylum seekers and refugees, and also the Hope Foundation.

His role as manager is being funded through a grant from Middlesbrough Council.