ALDI GORTON

Provision of relief of items to vulnerable and disadvantaged families. We now want to launch a community hub but need more funding, help with fridge and a space to fully launch the hub. When this is accomplished we will be able to increase our beneficiary base as well as increase our services. People will not have to wait to get appointments before accessing food. They can get come in everyday we are open to eat.

We are a community-led charity tackling poverty at its roots by empowering people and communities to overcome barriers and build sustainable futures. We support children, young people, adults, older people and families who experience multiple deprivation such as low income, unemployment, isolation, migration and disability. Through early intervention, tailored support and community-driven activities, we help people build resilience, develop skills and gain independence. Our work focuses on: 1. Advancing education and training so people gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to reach their potential. 2. Preventing and relieving hardship, sickness and distress through practical support, guidance and community-based programmes. 3. Promoting physical and mental wellbeing, helping people to live healthy, connected and fulfilling lives. 4. Championing equality, human rights and diversity so everyone feels valued, respected and included. 5. Supporting young people with mentoring, advice and opportunities that build life skills, confidence and independence. 6. Advancing environmental protection and sustainability by engaging communities in greener and more resilient ways of living. We are proud to be community-led and people-focused, working in partnership with schools, local authorities, funders, national organisations and neighbourhood groups. Each programme we deliver is shaped by local voices and designed to meet real community needs. Guided by our values of empowerment, inclusion, collaboration, innovation and accountability, we’re building stronger, fairer and more connected communities where everyone can thrive.

Manchester Young Community Champions provides a youth engagement project based at West Gorton Youth Centre 2 evenings a week, working with children and young people with additional needs affecting their mental health and emotional well-being. We provide a safe environment for young people to come and engage with a range of activities and events, enabling them to stay off the streets which helps to reduce anti-social behaviour. The activities we provide are multi-sports, cooking/baking arts and crafts, peer mentor led group sessions, 1-1 sessions, outings and residential trips, and we are reliant on securing funding in order to deliver this service. The areas in Manchester in which we focus are amongst the top 20% of disadvantaged communities in the Country as identified by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, and a high proportion of our families are on benefits or are on a low income. In Ardwick alone over 50% of young people are in poverty or experience deprivation. (HMRC data report) As a result, members of these communities seek positive outlets for community activity and rely heavily on subsidised public and/or voluntary sector services to maintain their health, emotional well-being and social needs. Given this, we provide our children and young people with either a hot meal or snack during every session, which supports the family budget, and our families rely on this provision. In order for us to continue to provide food to our children and young people, we would like to apply for redistributed food donations from M&S to be received on a regular basis. Since the Coronavirus pandemic, we have been working creatively to continue to engage with and provide for our children and young people, and have done this by delivering food parcels to families on an outreach basis, which has enabled us to ensure that we can still provide meals for our children and young people.