M&S Wigan Robin Retail Park Simply Food

We are an independent foodbank that covers the whole of West Lancashire providing food, cleaning products and clothes to disadvantaged families in the community. We operate a referral-based foodbank serving West Lancashire's most vulnerable residents. Our team collects donated food and essential items which we package into multi-day parcels, providing families with enough supplies to sustain them through difficult periods. We would like donations to support these families at their time of need. Leading up to Christmas we also make up food hampers and children's presents to give out to local agencies or families that would not be able to have Christmas without our support. Any donations are gratefully received and will be put to good use.

Our community pantry helps local people access affordable food while reducing food waste by redistributing surplus food intercepted from a variety of sources. We are passionate about rescuing good food that would otherwise be discarded and ensuring it benefits people within our community instead. The pantry operates on a low-cost membership basis, with a £5 annual membership fee and £3 per shop (maximum of two shops per week). Members can choose from a wide range of food, helping families and individuals stretch their budgets while maintaining dignity and choice. As well as supporting people with food, we aim to create a welcoming and inclusive community space. Last year, we refurbished and extended our building to better serve local people and recently opened a weekly Pay-As-You-Feel Café. The café is already proving to be a popular and valued space where people can enjoy affordable meals, meet others, and access support in a warm and friendly environment. Everything we do is volunteer-led and rooted in community, sustainability, and supporting local people through challenging times.

The Brick is a small charity that delivers big results for the community it serves. As its name suggests, it provides a safe, solid building block for people in crisis to begin to construct a new life and become valuable members of society. Since it began life in 2008, The Brick has become a real force for social change in Wigan Borough. The charity’s original aim was to support homeless people and help them make the transition from the streets back into independent living. The Brick’s remit has developed and evolved significantly over the years and it adopts an holistic approach to supporting people in need. The organisation seeks not just to help get people out of crisis but to transforms lives through training and work-experience opportunities that lead to real independence. In a typical week The Brick sees nearly 200 people who need help with issues such as financial hardship, fuel poverty, homelessness and domestic violence. It speaks to more than twice this number over the phone. It delivers 150 food parcels, serves 50 hot lunches and provides training opportunities for more than 30 people. The Brick is seen as an honest broker between its clients and the statutory service providers both in the borough and beyond. Working closely with other public services, The Brick has become a fundamental part of the care and enablement pathway for people in crisis in the borough. The organisation has attracted a diverse range of volunteers who know that in order for the community to thrive, each individual member of that community must thrive. Ultimately, The Brick provides the fresh hope of a brighter future to those who are, for a variety of reasons, struggling with their current circumstances.