THE woman who set up Rossendale’s food bank has stepped down from her position as chairwoman.

Kate Crane created the Raft Foundation food bank after a short stint on benefits made her realise what a struggle low-paid or benefit reliant families face and how hard it can be to put food on the table.

The Raft food bank, which celebrated its first birthday in July, has proved very popular and moved to bigger premises in Hardman’s Business Centre in Rawtenstall to meet demand for food parcels.

Mother-of-two Kate said: “It was a really hard decision to make but I was having a few health problems and it became harder and harder to meet the demands of chairing Raft as well as working my paid job and looking after my family.

“It’s not a decision I’ve rushed into. I had to think long and hard about it and discuss it with my family who have, thankfully, backed me every step of the way.

“I’m finding it very, very, very sad to step away from but I had to do what was best for my family and for my health.

“I know about the pressures of money and, of course, from working with Raft it’s something we are faced with every single day and I’m not exempt from that.

“You can only run at full pelt for so long until something has to give and my paid job had to come first.”

The Lancashire Telegraph launched a food bank campaign earlier this year after revealing the shocking extent of food poverty in the area.

Kate, a business administrator at St Mary’s School in Rawtenstall said: “I’m very proud of the work I’ve done with Raft and I know they have so many dedicated volunteers and are in a good position to carry on the great work they do every day.

“The support we’ve had from the whole community has been overwhelming and it was a joy to be a part of.”

After Kate announced her departure on Tuesday, trustee Rachel Heeks also revealed that she would be stepping down to focus on fundraising for the charity.

Trustee Mark Stapleton said he was confident Raft would continue as normal.

He said: “It’s a terrible loss and everyone involved in the Raft Foundation is really sorry to see her go.

“We all support the decision that she has made and wish her the best.”