Following the incredible support Crescent Food Bank received through Peter Kay’s fundraising event with Sara Cox, we are delighted to share how that generosity has created a lasting impact on our work in Bolton.
In September 2025, Crescent Food Bank was honoured to be one of the beneficiaries of a special event at The Lowry featuring Peter Kay in conversation with Sara Cox, raising vital funds for Crescent Food Bank and Bolton Hospice.
You can read the original story here.
For Crescent Food Bank, the support received helped us make an important investment in the future of our charity: the purchase of our own fully electric food bank van.
A 272% Increase in Collection Capacity
Before having our own van, our volunteers regularly used their personal vehicles to collect donated and surplus food from supermarkets, food redistribution partners and local businesses.
While our volunteers did everything possible to maximise each collection, the amount we could accept was often restricted by the space available in their cars.
Since introducing the van, our food collection capacity has increased immensely.
This has transformed the way we operate, allowing us to collect significantly larger quantities of food and essential items and respond more effectively when surplus stock becomes available at short notice.
Collecting More and Wasting Less
The van enables us to collect a much greater range of items, including fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, chilled food, ambient groceries, toiletries and other household essentials.
It also means we can accept larger and bulk donations that would previously have been difficult to transport.
Importantly, more good quality surplus food can now be rescued from potentially going to waste and redirected to households experiencing financial hardship.
This increased capacity is helping us make better use of surplus food while increasing the quantity and variety of items available for the people we support.
A Greener Way to Support Our Community
Our new van is also fully electric.
Because it is used regularly for journeys between supermarkets, food redistribution partners, local businesses and our premises, using an electric vehicle means these collections are made with zero tailpipe emissions.
This helps us reduce the environmental impact of our collection activities while continuing to bring more food and essential items into Crescent Food Bank.
The environmental benefit goes further than transport alone. By increasing our collection capacity, we are also able to rescue significantly more surplus food and help reduce unnecessary food waste.
The van therefore helps us support our community while operating in a more environmentally responsible way.
The Lasting Impact
The van has helped Crescent Food Bank to:
- Increased our collection capacity
- Collect larger quantities of donated and surplus food
- Rescue more food that might otherwise go to waste
- Reduce reliance on volunteers using their own vehicles
- Increase the quantity and variety of items available through our weekly food parcels
For Crescent Food Bank, this is much more than simply having a vehicle. It is an investment that has strengthened our day to day operations and will continue benefiting the people we support for years to come.
Our Thanks
We are extremely grateful to Peter Kay for his support of Crescent Food Bank and for helping make this important investment possible.
We would also like to thank Sara Cox, everyone involved in organising and supporting the event, and everyone who attended.
From a special fundraising event to a fully electric van that has increased our collection capacity by 272%, this support has created a tangible and lasting difference to our work.
Thank you for helping Crescent Food Bank go further for our community.
