The North Tawton community group, Merry Go Round, has set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise thousands for a crisis fund to help those most in need.

Merry Go Round, which sells second-hand children’s items, is aiming to raise £6,000 with support from the Co-op Warm Space Funding Boost, in order to establish a crisis fund for those urgently in need of financial aid as well as continuing to provide a warm hub in the community room and support the community fridge and larder.

Director of Merry Go Round Sadie Coventry, said: ‘It’s become apparent that some people will literally not put on their heating or choose not to eat themselves but feeding their children. So we thought we need to do something more.

‘The community has been absolutely amazing and what they’re donating to the community fridge and larder goes very quickly so we really need funds to be able to continue because we can see the gap - as soon as we had someone donate lots of packs of nappies, they just flew out. It’s lots of people, lots of families that weren’t ever struggling before and now they’re really struggling.’

The community group is hoping to raise at least £3,000 within the community which will be matched by the Co-op Warm Space Funding Boost doubling the funds raised to £6,000.

The money will be split equally between the crisis fund, the community fridge and larder and the cost of maintaining a warm space for the North Tawton community.

Mrs Coventry added: ‘The crisis fund is for people who without some kind of cash help would become physically or mentally unwell - physically unwell from not being able to eat or mentally unwell from the major stress of, for example, meeting mortgage payments and risking becoming homeless.

‘It’s still not an endless amount of money, but I know that we’ve helped half a dozen families at least already and it’s just saved them and taken away that stress, even if it’s only temporarily.’

As the Times went to press, the Merry Go Round fundraiser had already raised £1,760 – 29 percent of the target.

The idea for such a crowdfunder arose following the end of the Christmas period during which time the shop was especially busy.

In order to help parents afford Christmas presents for their children, Merry Go Round actively began to promote Christmas stock and provided more children’s toys for all ages including wooden building blocks, colouring books and books.

‘People were coming in and literally breaking down. They didn’t think they were going to be able to give the children any Christmas present. We’ve enabled them to do Christmas with Christmas stockings and advent calendars, chocolate coins.Then other people came forward and kept topping up the community fridge and larder.’

To donate, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk and search for ‘Merry go Round warm space and community fridge and larder’.