THE man behind a remarkable shed in York says planning permission has been granted so it can stay open.

John McGall runs the I am Reusable food bank in the Leeman Road area of the city, and it was initially set up to help those in need through the pandemic, including NHS staff. It has been inundated to the point that they have run out of food on several occasions.

As The Press reported in July, John had to put in an application for retrospective planning permission despite spending the past 16 years dedicating his time voluntarily to helping improve the lives of the homeless, disabled and less fortunate people in York.

Crowd funding raised money to pay for the application which John now says has been granted by City of York Council.

John said: “We can continue operating in our current residential location for up to two more years.

“We then have to look for an alternative location. We have to have weekly commercial waste bin collections and waste licences.

“The JustGiving money that was kindly donated has been spent on the planning application fee, and on getting the shed in a good condition to continue operating.

“We propose to also spend this money on the new costs which will occur as a condition of us staying open. These are weekly commercial waste pick ups and the relevant paperwork and licences required.

“If people do not want their donations to be used for this we are happy to refund them.

“Thank you to everyone who donated on behalf of all the people who need and will need our food bank service. Your kindness is very much appreciated by many.”

John has worked over the years to change the city’s attitudes on those who are homeless. He has been known to hand out hot drinks, snacks and warm clothes seven days a week to support those in need.

He won a Community Pride Award from The Press in 2020 when he was named Person of the Year.

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, John continued to ask for support with food donations online while he was shielding from the virus due to past heart surgery.

The Press reported how last month John was honoured in a ceremony that saw a bus named after him as part of a competition.

Run by YO1 Radio and First Bus, it asked people to write in with the names of people they felt made a substantial contribution to the city of York.

Also celebrated was Anne Stamp who works for the Snappy Trust and has spent 30 years dedicating herself to disabled children and their families in the city.

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