WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols recently visited St Andrew’s Church on Poplars Avenue in Orford to speak with Rev Philippa Shaw and those who run the weekly charity shop about Pride in Place.
The Church Shop is run by Sid and Faith, alongside other dedicated volunteers. It is open every Wednesday from 9.30am, and has a fantastic selection of affordable second-hand clothes, shoes, toys and homewares, alongside coffee, tea, toast and friendship.
Under Pride in Place – £20 million of Government cash will be made available for residents in selected neighbourhoods in Poplars and Hulme, and Orford to spend in their area over the next 10 years.
The best thing about Pride in Place is residents get to decide how the money is spent. You can let Charlotte know how you would like the money spent here – charlottenicholsmp.com/survey/poplars-hulme-pride-in-place-community
Charlotte said: ‘It was lovely to visit the St Andrews Church Charity Shop on Poplars Avenue this week, and to chat to Rev Philippa Shaw and members of the community about the opportunities that £20 million of Pride in Place funding will bring to the area, to hear ideas about how it could be used locally and how the church can help with engaging the community in these discussions as the Board is set up over the next few weeks.
“After speaking with Rev Shaw, Sid and Faith they would like to see the cash benefit the people who attend the charity shop, but also ensure that projects like theirs can continue into the future.’
“From initial conversations with residents, many people have said that there are not enough activities for young people in the area. As the project goes on, I hope we can use the money to find solutions to these issues.”
Rev Philippa Shaw said: “Pride in Place is such a wonderful project for our community. The people of St Andrew’s Church and our Charity Shop volunteers are really pleased to be a part of it. There are so many creative ways that the money could be spent and it could have a big impact in the local community and on people’s lives. “
Pride in Place is a once in a generation opportunity for residents to determine for themselves where they want to see money spent. Residents can decide to spend the money on a variety of different things, for example improvements to shop parades, the takeover of abandoned buildings or investment in green spaces.
The area where this cash is being made available is the part of Orford to the north west of Northway up to the M62, and from Winwick Road across to Radley Common, staying north of Statham Avenue.
This area has many candidates for this cash – the old rent office near Grasmere Avenue, the area around the former Poplars Pub on Cotswold Road or in one of the many existing community centres around the area.
