Ely Foodbank is set to open a new branch in Sutton and organisers are appealing for a team of volunteers to help run it.

Negotiations have been ongoing between the foodbank and Sutton Parish Council for a number of weeks and it is expected that a new branch will open at The Glebe in the autumn.

Since it was launched in Ely, in 2012, the foodbank has expanded rapidly into Littleport, Soham, March and Chatteris, and volunteers are handing out more than 3,500 meals a month – double what they were two years ago.

Officials at the foodbank say that families in East Cambridgeshire’s rural villages often struggle finding transport to get to a distribution centre so they are planning to expand their reach with a new outlet in Sutton.

Sutton councillor Lorna Dupre noted on her blog: “Ely Foodbank hopes to have a collection and distribution service running in Sutton by the autumn.

“The foodbank has already secured the agreement of the parish council to provide accommodation at The Glebe, and now needs to find at least 15 volunteers to help run the service in Sutton.

“Volunteers will need to be available for about an hour and half once a week, on a rota basis. Training will be provided before the service opens, which organisers hope will be in October or early November.”

If you would be interested in volunteering for the foodbank in Sutton, e-mail Ely Foodbank no later than September 8. Meetings about the foodbank will be held in Ely at 3pm on Tuesday, September 9, and again on September 16.