A Christian charity has disclosed the amount of people it helped during the pandemic, as the UK marks two years since the first Covid lockdown. 

Acts 435 revealed it met the needs of 14,000 people struggling during that season, equivalent to £1.6 million in help. 

They saw a big increase in donations through their website. 

Jenny Herrera, executive director at Acts 435 said: "That is our story behind the huge challenges of the pandemic. Just as people found themselves in need, others rose up to support them.  The needs almost doubled overnight, but so did the donations to meet those needs." 

The charity, which was launched by former Archbishop of York, Most Rev Dr John Sentamu in 2010, works through a large network of churches to provide direct help for those in poverty or facing crisis. 

As the cost of living soars, Katie Greene, partnerships director at Acts 435, told Premier they are already seeing the impact it's having on families across the country. 

"Just reading through the requests on our website you can see that there's just more and more requests that reference the rising cost of living. And it might not be that specific need is for gas and electric but actually they are putting more money on their gas and electric metres, which means they're unable to provide school shoes for their child or put food on the table." 

People can share their specific needs with an Acts 435 representative, which are later posted on their website. The needs are then crowdfunded by donors who seek to help.

Specific requests might include white goods, school uniforms, gas and electric tops, as well as many other essential items.