What we do
There are a range of areas where we are bringing this vision into reality and making a real impact. These include:
- Food Pantries – we currently have 6 of these attached to local Anglican Churches across Wigan. The pantries not only provide a dignified way for people to source good food that would otherwise go to landfill, but also provide a warm welcome and care and support for all. Most pantries have branched out with initiatives such as Pay as You Feel Faith Cafés, serving food and refreshments, or providing a warm place to sit, have a brew and take advantage of a ‘listening ear’.
- Funeral Service – we aim to offer a sympathetic, fair, centralised funeral service for the bereaved. We work closely with local funeral directors across the borough to provide this.
- CAP Debt Centre – in partnership with Christians Against Poverty, we run a debt advice and support centre. This is in response to Wigan Council’s prediction of ‘a tsunami of debt’ engulfing people of the borough over the next few years. We have sourced funding for two years. The Centre is open to all those seeking help with debt across Wigan.
- Next Generation Team – we work both in high schools and in the community to support young people in their development and empower them to be the change in their communities. We provide discipleship training through BSD (Brighter School of Discipleship) open to all ages. In response to the ever-growing emotional and mental health crisis among young people, we employ a full-time, trained Counsellor at The Deanery High School. We have funding for 3 years and are seeking more to enable us to build on the success of this in at least one other school.
In addition to Church Wigan, we are proud to work with a range of national and local partners, including Wigan Council, Christians Against Poverty, Fur Clemt, Way.Church, the Brick, Together Liverpool and others. Together we can do more, and with practical support behind them, front-line workers can begin to make a real difference to people’s lives.