Penryn and Falmouth Foodbank has received a donation from a mystery benefactor working with a charity which gives people in need a helping hand.

The Biscuit Fund is an organisation which works to help people affected by poverty in Britain, working anonymously to give one-off donations to those in dire need.

One member of the group was alerted to the needs of the foodbank by a regular article in the Falmouth Packet, which lets members of the public know what items the foodbank is most in need of each week, and decided to do something to help.

The volunteer, who is the only Biscuit Fund member in Cornwall, and called themself Agent Custard Creme to protect their identity, spend £100 on getting everything the Foodbank had asked for, and delivered it to charity's headquarters at the Highway Church in Penryn.

They said: "After spotting the piece in last weeks Falmouth Packet asking for certain things, it was decided that a gift of £100 in the form of a grocery shop would help many more people, not just one or two individuals. It's just so sad that in 2017 foodbanks and the need for charities such as the Biscuit Fund are a necessity.

"With Universal Credit about to be rolled out in Cornwall I have no doubt the need for foodbanks will surely increase. Especially in the run up to Christmas.

"TBF have 'agents' all over the country. The fund has helped several people from our county. Some had food shops, some electricity top ups. We have helped with rent arrears and even a purchased a new bed for one gentleman.

"The beauty is that we as a group run the charity purely online, no overheads, no staff/manager wages or running costs. Every single penny donated to The Biscuit Fund goes directly to those in need."

A spokesperson said the "very generous donation" weighed in at 108kg, and the benefactors had "basically bought the shopping list", adding that it was "considerably higher than our average donation."

They said: "The persons delivering it wished to remain anonymous but we would be most grateful if you could express our extreme gratitude.

"This time of year is exceptionally busy for us as demand increases. The Biscuit Fund provided goods specifically to fill our weekly needs - as published in the Packet newspaper - which makes it even more useful, so we would like to thank you and the team there for publicising it too."

The Biscuit Fund is a small group who operate almost solely online, keeping an watchful eye on help forums and pages for people in dire need of financial assistance. The group formed in 2013 and by 2016 had managed to raise and distribute over £50,000 to people in poverty, be it fuel poverty, food poverty or any other kind of poverty.

It operates entirely anonymously, only offers one-time donations and doe not accept direct applications but works proactively to find those in need.

Penryn and Falmouth Foodbank operates from Highway House in Penryn, where it also offers other services to those in need.

Between March 2010 and March 2016 the foodbank helped just under 6,000 people since March 2010, including 1,888 children, serving on average about 20 people a week, with a typical box providing food for four days.

The charity recently began asking for Christmas treats as part of its weekly list, to help those who will be in financial need during the festive period.