YOUNG musicians and singers came together in a special concert to raise funds for a local foodbank.

The concert, at Caldicot School, featured the school’s choir and orchestra, the Caldicot foundation string orchestra which features children from local primary schools and an appearance by Daisy Cooksley, a former Caldicot School pupil who is now a student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.

The concert raised £500 for the Caldicot Foodbank.

There were also solos by Bethan Edlin on the flute, Sophie Gooding on the clarinet and by pianist Emma Thomas and performances by clarinet, saxophone and string ensembles.

The school also welcomed the Bishop of Monmouth, the Rt Rev Richard Pain, to the concert which raised funds for the Caldicot Foodbank.

Mr David Flint, of Caldicot Foodbank, praised the young people taking part in the concert and the staff who supported them.

He told the large audience the Foodbank – which is part of the Newport-based Raven House Trust charity – was set up as a result of local churches in Caldicot and the surrounding villages coming together.

Mr Flint also gave a case study of a family who had been referred to the Foodbank after concerns were raised about a schoolboy who was “starving” and his mother.

He said: “If her son was starving, what sort of condition do you think she was in?

“When she came to us, we received her with a hot cup of coffee and a biscuit.

“We listened to what she had to say – she was shy, embarrassed, apologetic and worried about her son.

“Having told their story over a hot drink, we provide our clients with a few days’ nourishment in the form of a couple of bags of food.

“We expect them to visit no more than three times over a short period of time.

“It has to be remembered that members of the public cannot simply rock up at our door and expect help. We only help when a professional agency refers the client.

“Through Caldicot Foodbank we can help our neighbourhood be a caring and compassionate place.”

•See this week’s Review for more photographs.