We live in Manchester and we are part of an organisation, a charity, a church called Manchester Vineyard. 

Manchester has one of the highest rates of child poverty by local authority, with 42% of families struggling to provide what most others take for granted. More specifically, the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index ranks Ardwick within the 2% most deprived in England. In an area defined by low educational attainment, unemployment, broken relationships and poor health, we long to rewrite the story. 

We are currently responding to the Coronavirus in partnership with various groups including Manchester City Council. As our community faces immediate health, hunger and financial crises we recognise that the effects of this virus will be felt on the poorest in our city for a long time to come. 

Currently what we can do is limited as we lack our own building.

Over the last year we’ve been working towards the restoration of a derelict building; a building that has long-standing significance in the area. We are in the process of negotiating a Community Asset Transfer with Manchester City Council in order to reopen 422 Stockport Road. 422 has stood empty since 2011. This grand Victorian building is on the busy A6, with a bus stop right outside the front doors. Around 80,000 residents in the local area are able to get to it by foot or bus within 15 minutes, making it highly accessible. 

Through the restoration of this building we hope to work towards reversing the detrimental effects of child poverty and for the benefit of local people who need support, training and a place to belong.

We have three main aims for the building:

1) Tackling social isolation and promoting resilience within the community.

2) Supporting and equipping people to break the cycle of poverty.

3) Alleviating the financial burden on families to provide for basic needs. 

So far we have raised over £200,000, but given the scale of the escalating challenges caused by the Coronavirus, we rapidly need to raise more to tackle some of the immediate and long-term effects of child poverty, which have been exacerbated by this virus. Even before the Coronavirus, children were going hungry on a heartbreaking level, and this has become a far more devastating struggle during this current crisis.

So here’s the challenge… Will you donate £1 and share this with someone else? If 100,000 people join us, we’ll be well on our way! 

Many people live on under £1 a day for food and some people in this particular area, don’t even have cooking facilities. For some, giving a £1 will be a small sacrifice, but, for those that need help, generosity like this could be life-changing!

So, would you be willing to share this with others and join us in the £1 challenge? 

Thank you!

You can find out more at www.422Manchester.org