A FOOD bank has received a prestigious national award which acknowledges the hard work of volunteers who have been left "delighted" by the recognition. 

The Colchester Foodbank, located at the Tollgate Retail Park, in Colchester, has received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The accolade celebrates volunteer groups across the UK and has been given out since 2002 in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s golden jubilee. 

The honour is equivalent to an MBE and is the highest accolade given to volunteer and charity groups and remains for the duration of their existence.

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The Colchester Foodbank, launched in 2008, has been celebrated for its work in helping provide people in crisis in Colchester with essential items of food.

Since last year, the food bank has fed 13,966 people with ​three-day emergency food supplies.

A spokesman of the Colchester Foodbank said: “We're delighted our hard-working volunteers have been recognised for all the good they do for the local community, helping vulnerable people in time of crisis. 

“We are facing what the politicians would call a double whammy of the cost-of-living crisis and cold weather, and we expect our food bank to be busier than ever this winter.  

“We'd obviously love to close through lack of demand, but at the moment demand is rising. 

“We're especially grateful for the volunteer fundraisers who put together an event or do something to raise money for the food bank and those who just give faithfully at the till at the local supermarket and all those people.

"It’s the 300 core volunteers we've got that make the difference.” 

Members of the public can nominate groups they think are worthy of the award during a nomination period between June and September. 

Between December and May, eligible groups are then assessed by local lieutenants and then by national assessors. 

The winners of the awards are then announced in November when they will receive the crystal and certificate. 

The easiest way to support the work of the charity is to follow its social media channels to see what is urgently needed at the food bank. 

Long-life juice and milk, jars of jam, canned meat, custard and rice pudding are always needed, and donations are highly appreciated. 

Anyone interested in supporting the food bank can get in touch via their social media pages.