Monday, 3 April 2023 17:03

Community spirit is alive and kicking in Failsworth as a local foodbank gets one step closer to realising its expansion dreams.

Breaking the Waves was founded and run by local resident Gemma Blackhurst – initially from her own house - during the pandemic when she heard that some families were struggling to put food on the table.

It soon became clear that the demand for help meant Gemma needed to find bigger premises to store the food to make up the parcels.

She soon found the ideal venue in a former church hall that had fallen into disrepair in the months it had been closed. Lots of work was needed – including asbestos removal - to bring it up to an acceptable standard so Gemma started a crowdfundercampaign.

When Gemma met with Angela Rayner MP, she explained her predicament and Angela set about finding ways to help.

Angela put Gemma in touch with National Gas who have a strong track record in supporting the communities they serve.

National Gas met with the Breaking the Waves team and after hearing about the excellent work they do and their plans to expand, they were only too happy to fund the works.

Angela met with the Breaking the Waves team and everyone who has carried out the vital repair work on the new premises to thank them for their efforts and celebrate the success so far.

She said: “Lisa and the team are absolute heroes and carry out their community work alongside their day jobs and looking after their own families. I am so proud to represent them as their MP and I am delighted that we were able to find a way to fund these essential works on the new premises.

“I am looking forward to seeing them be able to realise their full potential and I’m excited after hearing some of their plans for the future.

“I would like to thank National Gas and everyone who pitched in to support this amazing local organisation. Community spirit is strong in Failsworth.”

Jon Butterworth, CEO of National Gas, said: “I spend plenty of time working on national-scale large infrastructure projects: but there's another type of critical infrastructure, and that's the endeavour of providing local places where people can access help when times get tough.

“I was very privileged this afternoon to join the founder and volunteers at Breaking the Waves with Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP and her constituency team, plus teams from National Gas, Erith Asbestos Removal, Sall Electrical and Life Environmental, who have all helped out by removing asbestos and delivering other work to enable the centre's refurbishment.

“It was a delight to join Angela in chatting with the team about the project, and I will continue to follow them closely as they move towards completing this essential work. My many thanks to all involved.”

Visit https://breakingthewavesfoundation.co.uk/ to find out more.