THE Warrington Smart Scrimpers community group based in Orford has become the latest organisation to benefit from a Warrington Worldwide Legacy Project grant of £500.
Warrington Smart Scrimpers is a group that currently meet every Tuesday at 11 am at St Ann’s church on Central Avenue, Orford. The cost is 50p to help cover the cost of refreshments.
The Scrimpers has been running for several years.
In support of the application for a Legacy Project grant Rebecca Berry said: “We are a group of people who get together over common interests. We believed that we could save a fortune by applying and sharing our skills, hobbies, or know-how.
“We realised that the cost of living could be lower if we pooled resources. Realising that is what people used to do as a community, we decided to find a place to meet up and open it up to anyone else who wanted to be smart about saving money. We believe that everyone has got time, knowledge, tips, skills or know-how that they can share. So, if you want to meet new people, have a brew and a laugh, learn something new and become a super smart Scrimper, come round and join in.
“The main objectives of the group are to Repurpose, upcycle, reuse, and budget meal planning. Using traditional values of making something from nothing and doing all things to save money on a tight budget.
“Pre covid, two swishing events had taken place. The group would like to do another one in the summer but with local businesses struggling it will be challenging to provide goodie bags of necessities and raffle prizes.
“The event is free, and it allows people from the community to swap nearly new clothes, washed, ironed and ready to go on the hanger. The maximum number of clothes is 10. The number of items you bring is the number of items you take. The toys had to be in very good condition in full working order. The number of toys brought is the number of toys swapped. In the summer the group would like to provide some entertainment such as bouncy castles and cooked food for those who are attending.
“Over 300 people came through the door of the last event, however, we found it difficult to advertise this event as it was time-consuming distributing flyers by hand outside local schools and businesses, yet the event was very successful. It also brought in new members of the team.
“This group provides a safe place for people to meet every week by giving peace of mind no matter what. It encourages reusing and promotes community cohesion with minimal impact on the environment or people’s pockets.”
Picture shows Editor Gary Skentelbery presenting a cheque for £500 to “Smart Scrimpers” lead Clare Peters and Rev Shirley Cowan from St Ann’s Church, Orford.
