As coronavirus leaves many Londoners unsure about how to spend Halloween, residents in Hackney are ditching trick or treating in favour of Trick or Eat - and making donations to Hackney Foodbank.

More than 60 households and shops have signed up to the project and are leaving collection boxes outside to collect non-perishable food.

Organisers have created a special map so families can dress up and enjoy a Trick or Eat trail in their neighbourhood, dropping food for people in poverty along the way.

The event is being run by The Local Buyers Club, a discount card which promotes small businesses.

Its founder, Jenna Fansa, said: “We ran Trick or Eat last year and collected more than 1,200 meals for Hackney Foodbank with just a small number of streets. This year we’ve been overwhelmed by the response.

“With cases of Covid-19 increasing in the capital, knocking on doors and asking for sweets doesn’t seem like the best idea – but dropping food outside in donation boxes is a wonderful way to get dressed up and enjoy Halloween.

“Kindness is everywhere and mid-pandemic, when so many people are suffering, the community is stepping up to help.”

Demand for Hackney Foodbank has more than doubled since lockdown, with over 10,000 emergency food parcels handed out between March and September.