WORCESTER rotary clubs were out in force on Saturday collecting money outside the Guildhall in the city centre.

Two clubs raised a total of £565 for both the Christmas Parcel project and the troubled Maggs Day Centre.

The Worcester Vigornia Rotary Club collected to buy food to go inside Christmas parcels and a total of £203 was donated to the project.

Councillor Stephen Hodgson, from the Vigornia club, said the initiative was an important effort by all five rotary clubs in the city.

“We are the lead club for this collection,” he said.

“People can contribute money and that will go into the parcels or they can donate food in one of the thousands of bags we will post through people’s doors in the coming days. The parcels are filled with unperishable goods, such as cans of food.”

Once the bags are dished out around the city they are filled, collected and then taken to Sixways Stadium in Worcester, where they are sorted into the parcels for people in need. They will be given to anywhere between 800 and 1,000 people and families,” added Coun Hodgson. “This includes elderly people and anyone who needs it. Everyone who receives a parcel is recommended, usually by a rotarian.”

The parcels will be delivered between the second Sunday of December and Christmas Eve by rotarians. Also collecting nearby for the Maggs Day Centre were the Rotary Club of Worcester. Mike Stone from the club, which also collected on Friday, said: “The charity is doing very badly and a lot of people need that service. We will try to do something extra because the centre is really in great difficulty.”