A FOOD bank has opened in Brecon - the fifth such scheme putting food on the tables of financially hard pressed people in Brecon and Radnorshire. Those behind the Brecon Food Bank say desperate local people had been turning to food banks in Merthyr Tydfil and Ystradgynlais for assistance. Reverend Caroline Owen, the vicar of the rural Dan yr Epynt parish surrounding Brecon and a trustee of the food bank, said many of those who have been helped by the food bank are in work rather than reliant on state benefits. She said sudden financial crisis - ranging from redundancies, unexpected large bills, changes to benefit payments including the so called 'bedroom tax' or even a cut in working hours, can lead to people needing the assistance of a food bank. The Brecon Food Bank will operate on Mondays and Fridays and those receiving food parcels need to have been issued with a voucher for food from local agencies such as social services, the Citizen's Advice Bureau or the Brecon Independent Advice Centre. Similar schemes are already in operation in Hay-on-Wye, east Radnorshire, Llandrindod Wells and the Swansea Valley. For the full story see this week's Brecon & Radnor Express - on sale now