I first encountered the Wood Street Mission at the start of the Covid lockdown, they were appealing for support for those families whose incomes had been impacted. I thought it was vital to support such an incredible charity, who were doing such vital work at Christmas, where the impact of living on a low income is often felt the greatest.

Since first getting involved at the start of the Covid lockdown, I’ve continued to support Wood Street at other times where I’ve collected a substantial amount of selection boxes and other festive treats for Christmas, along with supporting ongoing projects like the marvellous Books Forever Appeal.

The most fun part of supporting Wood Street so far was in December 2024 where the residents of West Didsbury chose Wood Street as their local charity for the Xmas on Burton Road lights switch on. The residents closed the whole street and had one big Christmas celebration and right at the heart of the event was Wood Street Mission! It was really something special to be surrounded by hundreds of people, who braved the cold December weather to come out and help kick-start Christmas with donations of gift sets, selection boxes and then to have Wood Street give the grand-finale by switching on the Christmas Tree lights.

This was a day I’ll never forget as it showed the love and support that entire communities have for the charity.  

Getting others involved with Wood Street has been incredibly fun, as this is something I’ve brought to people through radio, private conversations and online journalism. Many people -especially those who live outside of Manchester- are not aware the charity has been supporting people for over 150 years and as we all know, the UK has witnessed a lot of changes in that time!

As an organisation, Wood Street has shared the lived experiences of those who experienced major events like the Industrial Revolution and two World War’s. It’s incredible to think that WSM witnessed the birth of the NHS and Welfare State. Along with other major events like the country electing the first female Prime Minister.  

All of these are part of the tapestry of the wider story that makes up Wood Street Mission.   

The advice I’d give to anyone concerned by the shocking numbers of children living in poverty today, is don’t be alarmed! The great thing about organisations like Wood Street is the fact they exist and that support is being given to assist children.

Everyone can make a positive impact and just imagine how different the city of Manchester could be, if people shared WSM’s social media content, ran for WSM on fun runs, organised bake sales or collected a few books or Christmas gifts.   

The best advice I’d give to someone who was thinking about supporting Wood Street is to stop thinking and get in touch! The staff at Wood Street are approachable, they are incredibly supportive and when you visit it’s an experience that will generate a number of new ideas.

Taking those first steps is a life changing experience and it’s something you will not forget. So please, pick up that phone today and let’s make poverty history! 

How did you come to support Wood Street Mission? Why Wood Street? 

I first encountered the Wood Street Mission at the start of the Covid lockdown, where WSM were appealing for support for those families whose incomes had been impacted by the reduction in the Governments Furlough Scheme. 

Because Wood Street Mission were running the annual Christmas Appeal, I thought it was vital to support such an incredible charity, who were doing such vital work at Christmas, where the impact of living on a low income is often felt the greatest.

What have you done to support us?

Since first getting involved at the start of the Covid lockdown, I’ve continued to support Wood Street at times like Christmas, where I’ve collect a substantial amount of selection boxes and other festive treats, along with supporting ongoing projects like the marvellous Books Forever Appeal.

What is the most fun or rewarding part of supporting Wood Street?

The most fun part of supporting Wood Street so far, was in December 2024, where the residents of West Didsbury chose WSM as their local charity for the Xmas on Burton Road lights switch on. The residents closed the whole street and had one big Christmas celebration and right at the heart of the event was WSM! 

It was really something special to be surrounded by hundreds of people, who braved the cold December weather to come out and help WSM kick-start Christmas with donations of gift sets, selection boxes and then to have WSM give the grand finales by switching on the Christmas Tree lights.

This was a day I’ll never forget as it showed the love and support that entire communities have for the charity.  

How did you get your network involved with supporting Wood Street? Feel free to talk about any visits you’ve made to us, or us to you, as we hope this helped to understand how you are making a difference.

Getting other’s involved with WSM has been incredibly fun, as this is something I’ve brought to people through radio, private conversations and online journalism. Many people -especially those who live outside of Manchester- are not aware the charity has been supporting people for over 150 years and as we all know, the UK has witnessed allot of changes in that time!

As an organisation, Wood Street has shared the lived experiences of those who experienced major events like the Industrial Revolution and two World War’s. It’s incredible to think that WSM witnessed the birth of the NHS and Welfare State. Along with other major events like the country electing the first female Prime Minister.  

All of these are part of the tapestry of the wider story that makes up Wood Street Mission.   

There are some overwhelming statistics about the number of children living in poverty in Manchester and Salford – 81,000 children. What would you say to someone who wanted to make a difference with this issue – either individually, or with their families, with their school, with their colleagues at work, with people in the community?

The advice I’d give to anyone concerned by the shocking numbers of children living in poverty today, is don’t be alarmed! The great thing about organisations like WSM is the fact they exist and that support is being given to assist children in poverty.

I would then advise people to contact Wood Street and find an area of work that ignites a persons passion and have that as the starting point. It can be incredibly rewarding to fundraise or get supplies for WSM projects like Family Basics, School Uniforms, Christmas and Books Forever.

Everyone can make a positive impact and just imagine how different the city of Manchester could be, if people shared WSM’s social media content, ran for WSM on fun runs, organised bake sales or collected a few books or Christmas gifts.   

What would you say to someone who was thinking about supporting Wood Street Mission as an individual, in their community or with their business/in their workplace?

The best advice I’d give to someone who was thinking about supporting WSM is to stop thinking and get in touch! 

The staff at WSM are approachable, they are incredibly supportive and when you visit WSM it’s an experience that will generate a number of new idea’s.

Taking those first steps is a life changing experience and it’s something you will not forget. So please, pick up that phone today and let’s make poverty history! 

How do you hope to support Wood Street in the future?

In 2025, I started off with a donation for the Books Forever appeal. As this is one project that runs throughout the year, it’s a project that I love telling people about and gives me an excuse to visit my local bookshop.