Wigan Masons present charity cheques to those helping the homeless

Officers from the group visited The Brick to present it with two cheques.

One was for £700 raised by freemason Frank Highton who completed a sponsored walk to the three masonic halls in the borough.

The second was from the Wigan Group itself for £1,500.

The Brick offers a weekly shop for £3 for its 800 or so members, with an annual membership fee of £5 for paying customers.

It also offers a voucher service in conjunction with Wigan Council for welfare customers.

As a result of the current social situation, The Brick has seen a marked shift from welfare customers to employed customers working full time, yet struggling to make ends meet and has a constant need for donations and re-supply, especially food and toiletries.

Following the presentation of the donations, a letter of thanks was received from The Brick which said: “Thank you so much for your generous cash donation.

"Demand for our services is at an all-time high and this generous donation will go towards helping vulnerable families and individuals in Wigan and Leigh.

"Your donation will help us to provide our vital services across the community.

"During the cost-of-living crisis, the demand for emergency food has increased and The Brick continue to open its doors, be inclusive and provide nutritious food and warm spaces to the whole community, regardless of demographic.

"Our Outreach Team continue to work with people rough sleeping to support them to access help and a route off the streets.

"We continue to provide our other support services during these challenging times.

"Our community based Independent Living Mentors are supporting people to gain and sustain tenancies, breaking the cycle of homelessness, and our Personal Transitions Services continue to work with people at whatever stage they are to realise their worth and potential.

"The whole of The Brick team works tirelessly to reduce the impacts of homelessness and poverty and they work hard knowing that our community of donors believes in them. “We would not be able to help them put food on the table if it was not for the kindness of our community.”

A spokesperson for the the Wigan Group of Masons said they were “humbled by the response and proud of their support to the wider community.”