A group walked from between two towns to raise awareness of the daily struggle children go through for food.

The Inter Madrassah Organisation (IMO) is working with a group of young girls - ‘Power to the youth’ from the NCS project who walked from Darwen to Blackburn.

Blackburn is included in these many towns where a shocking figure of over 16,000 children are living in poverty. 

Pupils arrive in schools and colleges without so much as a bowl of cereal for breakfast. 

Iram Ansari an NCS participant said, “We discuss how we need to change, but by the time the conversation is over, we have already mentally walked away from the devastation: too weak to face the task. Stand and fight with us today, to put food back at number one.

“We don’t fight for air, nor do we need to force ourselves to breathe. 

“Food is just as crucial as oxygen in order to survive, so why do we stick on overpriced labels on such a necessity? 

“Why do we waste such a fundamental need of evolution when we could be working together to push humanity forwards? Eliminating hunger now will open up solutions to problems we haven’t yet touched- all because we are too caught up in our own materialistic needs to help our species.”

The walk began in Darwen Town Centre and ended at Blackburn Town Hall.

All of the money raised will be donated to Al Imdaad, where it will be given to the Blackburn Food Bank. 

Gillian Beeley from Together Lancashire said, “Watch this space – we are fighting for healthier, affordable access to food and to dispel the myths about what food poverty means.

“There are no deserving and undeserving poor.”