Above: Lin Kitchener and Mel Goddard from the Roberts Centre; Canon Bob White, vicar, St Mary’s Church; Sarah Smith and Maggie Smith from Home-Start, Portsmouth; Julie Minter, student minster, Farlington; and Jo Eamey and Patience Manhovo, from Southern Domestic Abuse Service, with the donated Easter eggs.

GENEROUS churchgoers from across Portsmouth donated more than 675 Easter eggs for needy families.

Worshippers collected donations of chocolate eggs from their churches, schools, colleges and workplaces to help those who might not be able to afford Easter treats.

The Easter eggs have been donated to help families supported by the Roberts Centre in Landport, Home-Start in Portsmouth and the Southern Domestic Abuse Service (SDAS).

And representatives of the three charities involved picked up piles of Easter eggs from St Mary’s Church in Fratton, which had been the focal point for the appeal.

Sarah Smith, co-ordinator for Home-Start in Portsmouth, said: “We support families in the PO1 to PO6 postcodes who have children under five and are experiencing problems. They’ll appreciate these eggs because some of those families are on low incomes and can’t afford treats like this.”

And Jo Eamey, who handles business support and development for SDAS, said: “We run refuges and offer support in the community for victims of domestic abuse. Money is often tight, often because financial abuse is part of what they have suffered. Often those families have just left a relationship with the person who earns money, so giving them eggs helps them to show they are appreciated.”

This is the third year that St Mary’s has led an appeal. Easter eggs were brought to churches throughout Lent. They will be delivered to the families these charities work with before Easter.

The vicar of St Mary’s, Canon Bob White said: “People’s generosity has been overwhelming, as so often happens when we ask for practical help. During Holy Week, we remember Jesus’s love for us in his ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Giving these Easter eggs is a very practical way of sharing that love we have received from Jesus with others.

“We want to say thank you to all those who have been so generous with their donations, whether it was via their church, their school or college, their workplace, or an individual donation.”