Family-owned butcher's shop hopes 'Mary' will help Wigan families in need of food

Tony and Helen Reynolds, who run Reynolds’ Butchers in Parbold, have set up a scheme called Mary’s Mince to help people living in the village.

They wanted to do something to support customers during the cost-of-living crisis, but did not know how to do it as they felt there was still a sense of embarrassment for some people when it comes to asking for a helping hand.

They came up with Mary’s Mince, which sees customers go into the shop and pay for a bag of mince for “Mary” – a fictional person who is, in fact, another customer who needs it.

Alternatively, they can pick up the mince to “deliver to Mary” if they need the meat themselves.

Helen said: “We don’t ask any questions or who it’s for, because she’s a fiction. It's a way of taking away a little bit of embarrassment from asking. Community really matters to us and we all care about each other.”

A lot of regular customers will put money aside to contribute to the bank of meat, making sure there is enough available so it can be given to anyone who needs it.

The initiative has taken off and Helen is already in talks with Beacon Crossing – a nearby retirement home – to give any meat left at the end of the day for residents there to use.

Helen hopes people in the area will step forward to ask for the meat.

She said: “We want to encourage people not to feel shy about it – there are lots of struggling families out there.

"When we were in lockdown we did something similar for families who had recently moved to the area and were starting with nothing.

"We like to do this where we can, to help people who are struggling and give them a lift especially this time of year. When you’re lucky enough to have a lot of food in the cupboard you’re alright but there are a lot of people not in the same situation.”