Fur Clemt: Wigan community interest company opens new hub

Fur Clemt was welcoming people to the new premises, based on Montrose Avenue, this week.

Project manager Shirley Southworth is excited by the different opportunities that could now be possible.

She said: “It is new and improved. We’ve got more space and we’ve got a five-year lease, which gives us the opportunity to do so much more.

“We will be doing more cooking classes and that sort of thing, while there is also a community space to hire for anyone wanting to do training.

“We had a cafe before Covid, so we have a space for that too.

“We are having a little bit of a formal opening for the people who have helped to put the work in to get it ready.

“We get a lot of support from different community members, so it is really good.”

The organisation re-uses any viable food from going to landfill and makes it available to people who need it.

When Covid-19 hit, Fur Clemt did have their concerns over what lockdowns and other restrictions would mean for them.

Mrs Southworth said: “We were a bit nervous about the pandemic because we do need an income coming in to help the project run, and overnight it was wiped out.

“We were really worried about the future of the organisation.

“We managed to survive due to everyone pulling together and the funding we got.

“I do think the way the situation is at the minute, with the price of food going sky-high, there is more and more need in what we are doing here.

“We try to emphasise the fact we are an environmental project, and encourage anyone to use us. We want to take away any stigma, which we think sets us aside.”

Fur Clemt were given a huge helping by a local business as they prepared to re-open.

JJH Building contractors went above and beyond to help them to get the place ready and are their biggest supporters.

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