Adam Henson has pledged his support to help tackle the growing issue of food poverty as he becomes a patron of The Country Food Trust charity.

The BBC Countryfile presenter, who runs the Cotswold Farm Park, joins former England cricket captain David Gower, TV presenter Phil Spencer and chef Mark Hix as patron.

The Country Food Trust, which was formed in 2015 with the aim of feeding people in need with game meat, hit its five-year target of providing more than one million meals a year earlier than expected

And since the beginning of May, it has donated another 400,000 meals through its COVID-19 appeal.

Mr Henson said: "I have been following The Country Food Trust keenly since inception.

"It's brilliant how quickly the charity has grown and to see what it has achieved as it nears the 1.5 million mark of meals donated to people in food poverty.

"Sadly, the number of people needing help with food in the UK is continually increasing and I'm delighted to have been asked to become a patron."

The charity produces two ready meals made from pheasant - a curry and a casserole - developed by ex-River Cottage chef and trustee Tim Maddams.

These pouches do not require refrigeration and can be eaten straight from the packet, meaning they can be sent to charities without cooking facilities as well as food banks.

It also sources meat straight from dealers which is sent out to charities with kitchens.

Chief executive Tim Woodward said: "We are delighted that Adam is joining us as patron.

"We are looking at different ways to provide protein to feed the growing number of people in need and Adam's knowledge will be hugely useful in this area.

"We're looking forward to working with him to raise awareness about the issue of food poverty and feeding even more people across the UK."

He continued: "Our research showed that of all food donated to food banks, there was a real shortage of protein, so we developed our meals with this in mind."