A year with SPIN

Eyes Down for The Well – Bingo followed by an evening meal

Over the last few months, The Well have started hosting a BINGO night on a Monday which gives residents chance to socialise in a calm and relaxed atmosphere. The recent addition to The Well’s schedule has been a success and it’s great to see a smile on many of the faces of our residents.

Generous Green Fingers

Several of The Well’s residents put on their gloves and cleaned the allotment earlier today. This was followed by planting some flowers, designing the above pattern on the front garden and removing any rubbish from the surrounding area. All part of turning The Well into a home for its residents.

Haircuts for The Well’s residents

A local mobile hairdresser, Suzie kindly donated her Sunday afternoon to voluntarily cut the hair of The Well’s residents. Milan once again got a new trim and some of the women loved the opportunity to go for a new style.

15th March 2018 – Spin’s Soup Kitchen at The Well

Milan’s next project

Milan is currently building and painting a chest of drawers which will be his next project and up for sale at The Well soon.

Congratulations Mike

Mike arrived at The Well six weeks ago after finding himself in uncertain circumstances and consequently homeless. We have been able to provide Mike with a full-time job and temporary accommodation at The Well. Here is a picture from his first day as he’s enjoying a breakfast before cycling to work.

Cleaning and Cooking at The Well

We at SPIN just wanted to share these photos as it’s really heartwarming to see guys completing domestic duties who were previously on the streets several weeks ago. They are cleaning the dishes, hoovering and generally keeping everything in order to turn The Well into their home.

Further success with FareShare

Following the holiday season, SPIN are back to business and hoping to get more guys off the street with accommodation and volunteering opportunities. The Well’s had further success with FareShare as six of the residents found full time work and moved into their own flats. Our ambition is to surpass this in the new year by housing more vulnerable individuals and providing more opportunities for work.

Furniture Restoration Project

Milan’s first piece is now ready for sale as part of The Well’s furniture restoration project. Thanks to all those who donated the tools to make the project possible as it further develops the skills of our homeless friends.

Further donation of power tools for The Well

Thanks to Samantha Thomas Berry who donated Black & Decker power tools to The Well earlier today for Milan’s furniture restoration project. This can further develop the skills of our residents which will only increase their employment opportunities.

21st December 2017 – The Festive Soup Kitchen

Thank you also to Stand4 Socks for providing our homeless friends with their top notch, warm and antibacterial socks to get them through the winter.

Christmas Festivities at The Well

A remarkable donation of several computers from Kellogg’s

Thank you to Kate and all of her colleagues at Kellogg’s. We think you’re greeaaaaaaaat.

Christmas Hampers

We have started to distribute Christmas hampers amongst many vulnerable families in the Greater Manchester region. I was shocked to hear that both parents work full time with two young children but still require that little bit of extra support from local charities. The current government has a lot to answer for when you’re distributing hampers to parents who have both a home and are working full-time.

12th December 2017 – Tesco fundraising session

Mark, Milan and several others hosted another fundraising session at Tesco’s Prestwich branch earlier today. We hosted a raffle and discussed SPIN’s progress to many of the customers doing their afternoon shopping. It was a really great afternoon for both raising SPIN’s profile and raising considerable donations for future projects.

Connolly’s Christmas Dinner at The Well

Earlier this afternoon, Adele and Mark were distributing flyers for The Well’s Christmas dinner which will be funded by Connolly’s Builders. This is one of many attempts by SPIN to combat the issues of loneliness specifically amongst the elderly and to ensure everyone is enjoying Christmas dinner with either acquaintances or family.

A special shoutout to all of our sponsors

Thank you.

9th November 2017 – Soup Kitchen / Greggs

See you outside Manchester Cathedral at half seven.

Good Luck Bev

After volunteering at FareShare, Bev has just been offered temporary work with EmmaUs. Congratulations and good luck with your new role.

Sunday dinner at The Well

21st October 2017 – Manchester Cathedral’s Soup Kitchen

Mark’s photoshoot for the ‘BEE Proud’ awards

Donation are also urgently need to continue supporting SPIN and will be vital during the upcoming winter months.

The Pickled Pony visit SPIN’s weekly soup kitchen

WyWam’s samba troupe visit the Soup Kitchen

Earlier this evening at Manchester Cathedral, SPIN had the pleasure of the WYWAM samba troupe entertaining our guests. Many of the customers danced to the various rhythms and enjoyed the show. The customers also enjoyed fish and chips followed by mince served with onions and potatoes. It was also great to see some familiar faces return including Becky and her friend.

Friday night at The Well

It’s the beginning of the weekend and many of The Well’s residents have decided to relax after voluntary placements at Fareshare. The community enjoyed soft drinks whilst playing computer games, challenging each other to games of pool and watching television.

10th September 2017 – Danny reconciles with his family

During the weekend, The Well entertained several Cantonese visitors who helped prepare a meal and provided entertainment for the residents. One of our residents, Danny has also been able to contact his family and they agreed to meet at The Well for a Sunday dinner. This is part of the progressive journey for many of our guests as they attempt to reconcile with their family and improve their self-esteem before finding the confidence to get their life back on track.

4th September 2017 – Sunday Roast at The Well

Also, thanks to Beverly for making a superb Roast dinner yesterday.

1st September 2017 – FareShare volunteer at The Cathedral

SPIN had a really pleasant evening as the customers enjoyed the Sausages and Mash prepared earlier at The Well. We’d like to thank Jenny, Kate and Patrick for volunteering in the kitchens all day. Simon from FareShare also made an appearance and helped serving the desserts to the customers.

25th August 2017 – Greggs’ visit to the Soup Kitchen

Thanks again to all volunteers for sparing your Thursday night to help Manchester’s homeless community.

Milan’s New Look

Thanks to local donations, we were able to take Milan for a haircut at Martin’s Barbers in Platt Fields. The new look really improved his self-esteem which has provided the confidence to continue pursuing jobs and building his life in the UK.

Barber Wanted

Looking for a barber or hairdresser who could voluntarily spare a few hours to give The Well’s lads a fresh trim for upcoming interviews.

New Resident – George

We’ve just welcomed George to The Well with this selection of toiletries and a cooked meal. He’s been sleeping on the streets for years and had tragically been set on fire by a group of youths over the weekend. He’s been given shelter by SPIN and found sanctuary at The Well.

An Audience with Andy Burnham

Mark attended an audience with Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burham earlier today. We were given the chance to show a video of SPIN’s progress to the politician who was extremely pleased with the charity’s progress.

Job Opportunities for The Well’s residents at Costa Coffee

Several members of Costa’s Head Office visited The Well earlier today who delivered the exciting news that there will be jobs in the pipeline for several of its residents.

25th July 2017 – Costa in the Community

The Well are still looking for tradesmen, contact Mark if you wish to get involved.

24th July 2017 – The Well’s residents volunteer at FareShare

Several of The Well’s residents volunteered at FareShare earlier today. Their duties included packaging the food, storing the food in the vans and later transporting them to various hostels around Manchester. This was great work experience for many of the residents in a warehouse which has benefited their CV, self-esteem and two residents have already gained full-time employment through this route with FareShare.

20th July 2017 – Youth with a Mission’s visit to SPIN’s Soup Kitchen

Alongside the options of mash and gravy. The customers loved chatting with the guests who provided counselling and re-assurance that local communities can provide a helping hand. As always, thank you to the regular guys who donate to SPIN and for generally being amazing selfless people.

16th July 2017 – The Well welcomes a Gospel Choir

The Well was visited by Cloverdale Christian Church earlier today and their gospel choir performed for the residents. Nick Carr-Brown also led the service and he was later joined by the local children with a sermon for the congregation. The atmosphere was loving, inspiring and came to a close with a serving of Chicken Kiev and chips. It’s a blessing to be part of the community.

Congratulations Thomas

Well done Thomas!

2nd July 2017 – Sunday Roast at The Well

29th June 2017 – Preparations are underway for tonight’s Soup Kitchen at Manchester Cathedral

SPIN’s Domestic Goddess – Alice

Alice is rarely seen on the frontline but participates in all the ‘best’ jobs such as cleaning the dishes, preparing the meals and cleaning the bathrooms for thirteen hairy males at The Well. As a sign of appreciation, she was treated to pampering day by one of our volunteers where she enjoyed an Italian meal and purchased a dress alongside a pair of new shoes.

16th June 2017 – Donation from David’s Meat and Greet

Thanks again to ‘David’s Meat and Greet’ for their donation of quality meat which will be used at this Thursday’s Manchester Cathedral Soup Kitchen.

14th June 2017 – Kelloggs are CEREALsy hard at work

Thanks again to the team at Kelloggs in Stretford for helping decorate The Well for its residents.

12th June 2017 – More Food Deliveries

Alongside the soup kitchens, SPIN also re-distribute the donated food to local homeless shelters. We delivered a food parcel to Riverside Hostel in Rusholme earlier today.

Housing is a Human Right

Mark campaigning with an honorary Spinner in Manchester City Centre yesterday.

Another SPIN Success Story – Milan Jacek

Tom did it!

Last Chance to Sponsor Tom for his Marathon

Congratulations Adam

15th of May 2017 – Easter bunny Mark delivers eggs to Manchester Children’s Hospital

The SPIN team re-distributed a selection of Fareshare’s donated food to Manchester Children’s Hospital earlier today. The SPIN team delivered the food in Mark’s loyal white transit van and the children loved the selection of chocolate eggs and cakes on offer.

29th of April 2017 – SPIN delivered more than a baker’s dozen of desserts to Newbury House

29th April 2017 – Clothing donations and Cookies outside the Cathedral

Run Tom Run

Please show your support and sponsor Tom for all his hard work that he is doing.

28th April 2017 – A ‘grrreat’ volunteering event at Kellogg’s

Our organisation, SPIN were kindly invited to Kellogg’s volunteering event based at their headquarters in Stretford. This was a resounding success as the cereal conglomerate kindly donated ten laptops which will enable SPIN to set up an IT class at The Well. This will particularly help foreign migrants and refugees who will be able to contact their loved ones at home. SPIN also plan to take full advantage of the laptops by setting up an IT class to perhaps teach the basics of Microsoft Office, set up social media profiles or improve CVs for any residents who aren’t computer literate in this digital age.

23rd April 2017 – A sunny Sunday afternoon at The Well

SPIN enjoyed another Sunday afternoon at our summer sanctuary of The Well. We luckily had a local schoolgirl provide entertainment by showcasing her drumming skills for the residents. The kitchen staff also prepared a roast dinner and the residents enjoyed a selection of donuts provided by a local Gregg’s. This was followed by relaxing on the terrace in the sunshine during the afternoon, as shown in the picture above.

20th April 2017 – Manchester Cathedral’s Soup Kitchen

After last week’s relatively quiet evening, there was a worrying increase in numbers at tonight’s Soup Kitchen. Many of the customers enjoyed the Sweet Chilli Chicken and socialised with other members of the community. KEY 103 also kindly donated a large amount of sandwiches which were distributed amongst the customers and we welcomed a new recruit Catherine to the team.

Easter at The Well

We suitably celebrated Easter with a service this morning followed by a selection of mini eggs and cakes for the children. Later in the day, one SPIN member also prepared a meal for an elderly woman, without any relatives, who would have otherwise celebrated the event alone. This is possibly worth bearing in mind as one small gesture can go a long way for the lonely and disadvantaged in society.

A relatively quiet night at the Cathedral

Summer seems to be approaching and this allowed the customers to enjoy their food as the sun set over Manchester. The kitchen welcomed around 50 customers and they particularly enjoyed the chicken curry on-offer. The relatively quiet night allowed volunteers to chat with the clients, particularly about the Spice epidemic, which is sweeping Manchester and how it’s frightening for the homeless communities due to the lack of resources or rehabilitation available. We resolved that we can only be optimistic that there will continue to be more organisations such as SPIN and the local communities within Manchester will pull together to help the disadvantaged addicted to this terrifying drug during this uncertain time.

From being homeless to building homes…

This client’s backstory perfectly epitomises SPIN’s ethos as he was sleeping in a tent in the city centre several months ago. Following a caring hand from SPIN and some power tools, the individual has been able to harness his talents and contribute to The Well’s renovation which will provide shelter for many of Manchester’s homeless in the future.

8th April 2017 – Another Food Delivery

We delivered another food parcel to a grandmother is unfortunately acting as a carer to her three grandchildren whilst her mother is attempting to combat some health problems. Get in touch (via the blog or Facebook) if you know someone who is also struggling to feed their children and could benefit from a similar parcel.

6th April 2017 – Manchester Cathedral’s Soup Kitchen

SPIN started preparing for this evening’s kitchen earlier this afternoon as the kitchen staff cooked ‘Bangers and Mash’ whilst several volunteers boxed Marks and Spencer’s donations of chocolate bars. The evening had an impressive turnout and several of the customers enjoyed the brews and biscuits on-offer due to the chilly temperatures.

30th March 2017 – Manchester Cathedral’s Soup Kitchen

Alongside the usual selection of biscuit, cakes and tea. Come along for some free grub.

The 3 Peaks Challenge

https://www.gofundme.com/4ghfq-3-peaks-challenge

An update on the Well’s renovation

We are also desperately in need of a plumber and joiner to finalise a few things – if anyone could spare a few hours – please get in touch.

19th March 2017 – Preparations for tonight’s soup kitchen

Alongside complimentary tea and coffees. All food was prepared by The Well’s kitchen staff and we are thankful for everything they do. Come along for some free grub.

Great news – SPIN now exists in a legal capacity.

Following the earlier AGM, SPIN now exists in a legal capacity and the minutes are available to read for anyone who’s interested. We also discussed the constitution during the AGM and planned how we wish to build and improve SPIN over the next year. We also elected new trustees for the charity and it seems like there will be a promising twelve months ahead for SPIN.

Celestial Cakes for the Church

Mark delivered a selection of cakes and pastries earlier this afternoon to the Church of Nazerine. They were all pleased with the donation of cakes from SPIN and later enjoyed the sweet treats with a brew.

15th March 2017 – Food Kitchen in Macclesfield

Despite the cold temperatures, there was another impressive turnout at Macclesfield’s Soup Kitchen on the 15th March. Many of the customers enjoyed the chicken curry and socialising with others where they were able to shoot the breeze about common experiences or share information about local accommodation. The evening was very humbling for the volunteers but it’s great to see an organisation such as SPIN challenging the issue of homelessness in the Greater Manchester region.

Congratulations Jacob and Shaun

Congratulations to the lads for their hard work and thank you to everyone who made this possible.

11th March 2017 – Food Kitchen in Macclesfield

We are just preparing the sausage pasta for tonight’s food kitchen at Churchill Way Car Park, opposite the Salvation Army hostel. All volunteers are welcome, come down even if you haven’t volunteered before as we are a friendly bunch.

Climbing for Charity

All of us are doing this challenge to try and give something back to the communities that helped us – we are all either once homeless or addicts/alcoholics in recovery (or both), and we understand more than most just how important not only the practical side of what we do is – the food parcels, the bedding, the clothes, the help to access to the correct services, but also the importance of the human side – the support, the friendship, the knowing that even in the darkest times of life, somebody cares. We are doing this challenge to help provide for more people who are struggling in the hardship of their current life situation and to show the unity of bringing people and organisations together to help other people. Anything you can spare to support us is gratefully received and appreciated more than you know. Thank you from all of us. Xxx

10th March 2017 – Macclesfield Soup Kitchen

7th March 2017 – The Well’s Renovation followed by a Roast Dinner