Taylor Swift's UK foodbank donations hailed as 'most incredible' gifts by charities

Virgin Radio

26 Jun 2024, 11:15

Taylor Swift’s generous donations to UK foodbanks have been hailed as “most incredible” gifts by charity leaders.

The ‘Lavender Haze’ singer has made a habit of donating to foodbanks in every location she visits on her The Eras Tour, and the UK leg of her journey has been no different.

As a result, charities based in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London have all received generous financial support from the ‘Love Story’ star.

------------------------------------

DON'T MISS:

See inside Chris Evans’ Gig in the Garden, starring James Blunt and Sam Ryder

Paul McCartney announces UK tour dates for 2024 - venues and ticket details revealed

Glastonbury 2024 set times and performers: who is playing each day and when?

------------------------------------

Speaking in a recent interview with The Times, Edinburgh Food Project director Bethany Biggar explained how on the day of Swift’s first Scottish concert: “Out of the blue, someone called from her team and told us that she wanted to make a donation to our charity and would we accept it.

“We’re not allowed to share how much the donation was, but encouraged us to share the news and help raise awareness of what this charity does,” she added.

Cardiff Foodbank described Swift’s donation to them as “beyond their wildest dreams”. In an interview with The Guardian, the charity’s chief executive Rachel Biggs explained how the billionaire popstar’s money will help them buy “an articulated lorry full of food and other most-needed items to supplement our emergency food parcels.”

She also added: “The breathing space Taylor’s donation has given us will enable us to lift our heads and shift our focus from the food bank to the creation of a sustainable operation supporting people who currently need our help with support to address the root cause of poverty and financial support to set them on the path to not needing our aid any more.”

Meanwhile Liverpool’s St Andrew’s Community Network’s Rich Jones hailed Taylor’s donations to them as “the most incredible gift”, explaining: “Because of rising prices, rising need and falling donations, we’ve been having to subsidise our food ourselves for a long while.

“But it’s fair to say that Taylor Swift has essentially paid our food bill for 12 months - and that gives us the breathing space to focus on fundraising efforts going forward: to really look at how we can achieve our ambition of ending the need for food banks in the first place through financial advice, income maximisation work, welfare benefits and work.”