You carried a report on St Cuthbert’s Primary School at Windermere, collecting food for the local foodbank (Gazette, June 25, ‘School lends a helping hand to foodbank’).

Well done to them.

However, is it not rather sad that young children should be introduced to such an ugly facet of 2015 life?

On the same day the national news announced that 2.3 million children in the UK were living in poverty and that in 2014 our government had given away £12 billion in foreign aid.

As long as one child in this country is living in poverty or one family or person is reliant on a hand out from a foodbank not one penny should be given in foreign aid.

As someone who has lived in many of these countries receiving aid, I’m fully aware of their problems but also well aware of the graft and corruption that exists. How much of £12b actually gets to the people that need it?

The government’s first and only duty is to the people of Great Britain.

Tony C. Moss

Kendal