The warm space in Wigan that has transformed lives

The 31-year-old admits he struggled at home with just his two dogs to talk to before he found out about Jed’s Pantry in Wigan.

St Stephen’s Church in Whelley provided John with food and a spot to get warm – something so simple that proved “life-changing” for him. Now he helps out with the volunteers who are all working hard to manage their ever growing list of members left to fall on hard times as a result of the cost of living crisis.

“I heard about this through the post,” he said.

“It helped me out when I was struggling [both financially and mentally]. Now I want to help others in the same position.

“I’m from nearby in New Springs, and we all want to look after our own here. I come in, get the shopping I need, get a brew and help out where I can.

“This place has warmth both physically and emotionally because everyone is dead cheerful and positive. It has been life-changing for me.

“It helps me out with food and improves my mental wellbeing because I see people. Since the lockdown I haven’t got out much and I only see my two dogs really.

“This gets people back into a good mood. It is just nice.”

Jed’s is made up of the churches of St John’s, St Elizabeth’s, St David’s and St Stephen’s from Church Wigan, and they have seven of 75 warm spaces in the borough. It provides those in need with 10 to 20 item shops filled with bread, beans, soup, vegetables, fruit and cereal as well as a “lucky dip” – which could be anything donated by providers.

The feeling of warmth and positivity is something that exudes through the place as people walk in to get their shop and move next door for a free brew. “No judgement and inclusion” is a key philosophy for Dean Kearsley, project leader, and his team at St Stephen’s.

He explained that they have seen a rise in demand for their service which currently caters for 223 households – with an average attendance of 50 a week doing their big shops.

“The atmosphere and environment here keeps people coming back,” Dean said. “Love thy neighbour is the attitude.

“It is encouraging neighbours to come back together like they were before. It does take time to be comfortable among people again.

“In terms of regulars we find an average of about 50 people, some on a weekly basis. It is not just the vulnerable coming in, but nurses as well for example.“Many can manage three weeks of the four but have to come here for the fourth week. Getting over the threshold is the main hurdle to coming to a place like this.

“But if we can provide an environment that people want to come to, they will encourage others to join. It is a pride thing, they say ‘can I have this, can I have that’ and we just say of course you can.

“We just say yes, take what you can. The beauty of this is like-minded individuals all being together.”

One of their new regulars, Ziba Jabbari, a single mother who moved to the UK from Iran six years ago was introduced to the church’s warm bank two weeks ago. She said how it makes her feel safe and included.

“I love coming to the church here and I’m always excited to come,” the 43-year-old explained. “I even got a hug when I first walked in.

“When I come here I feel safe, included and part of the community. I enjoy coming here, I am always smiling.”

She was introduced to the pantry and warm hub by church member Jane McLoughlin who believes this work helps maintain the church ‘as an important part of the community’. The 81-year-old hailed the space as a “lifeline” for those in need.

“It is very much about ‘love thy neighbour’ here,” she said. “It’s nice to know the church is helping and that people are responding because our members have put a lot of effort into this.“This is a lifeline for some people. This is about reaching out, not just to those in the church community, but everyone.”The effort of volunteers at Jed’s and the support from the community and Wigan Council is highlighted as key to this place’s survival by Dean. The co-ordinator for the Balcarres Avenue site explained they’ve had tears, ‘but quickly turn them into joy’ when giving them pre-prepared referral bags (for those in more dire need).

Many donations come from big name supermarkets in the area to provide locals with the support they need for food and more recently, flowers from M&S. However, the local community has been a big support in providing manpower and greater infrastructure as well as vital connections.

Activities and workshops are also carried out at the warm space to keep people occupied with learning new skills. The next step – coming in the new year – for JEDS’ is for debt management training which will help provide a more “holistic approach” to dealing with the problem at hand.

The concept of this for Reverend Cathrine Cosslett, who oversees social justice for Church Wigan, is to bring people into church, help them in the short-term, and then give them the skills to survive without them in the future – the whole package.