A DEESIDE martial arts academy has done their bit to make the festive period easier for families in need.

Gavin Eastham, of Cobra Life Martial Arts in Shotton, collected 84kg of food with the help and support from his students for Flintshire Foodbank.

He told the Leader that the idea originally came from instructor Rob Evans and everyone was more than willing to jump on bored.

He said: “I’m immensely proud of everyone.

“We need to be able to help other people. If we are able to help, we have a duty to as a human race.

“It shouldn’t be a question of not today, if everyone had that mindset the amount of help needed would reduce.”

In 2018, Gavin lived out of the foodbank for around nine months and he said he wanted to give something back.

He told the Leader: “It’s quite embarrassing. You have a sense of pride and you don’t want people to think you need that kind of help.

“It’s run by Christians and it’s all about giving and helping each other. They look at you for who you are rather than thinking someone else who needs food. It was a deep learning curve for me to not judge a book by its cover, they also helped me find my faith.

“I have back by being a volunteer, I didn’t have money, but I donated my time.

“It’s also about helping our children understand what charity is. They understand what giving is but often they learn about bigger projects. Sometimes, local projects hit home and I was able to give my story, I’m not embarrassed to speak about it anymore.”

The 84kg donation was handed over during the festive period.

He added: “No wonder bags were heavy and for one small business in Shotton, I thought it was pretty cool.

“We don’t just teach them kicking and punching. We teach them life skills and development. Mason Evans has grown in his development and he was over the moon to help.

“It’s a nice feeling to know you’re able to help

“I would like to hope that with us donating that it would inspire other people to be able to give. If we can all give a little, the impact will be massive.”