A charity based in Eccles that combats poverty and prevents homelessness has had a refurbishment that will aim to further support the community.
The Mustard Tree, Southway, Eccles has recently opened with a new look, that has been used to welcome more members of the area into a safe space.
The redevelopment of the shop has coincided with the changes to the local community, and will hope to be at the centre of positive change.
Across its three Hubs in Eccles, Ancoats and Little Hulton, 10,000 visits take place each month and in 2023-24 saw 4,644 new people registering to use its services.
By 2026, it aims to prevent homelessness for 3,000 people, lift 30,000 people out of poverty and increase connectivity, community and reduce social isolation.
Jack Barton, Communication Manager of Mustard Tree said: “The new redevelopment centre has been set up to provide courses, and activites all centred around employment.
“We want to maximise the support we offer, whether that is helping someone get on to benefits, reducing debt and helping with payment plans.
“I often view us as a first responder to anyone walking through those doors going through any sort of hardship. We can support people, and also signpost them onto other organisations that may offer additional support.”
The new changes are encouraged to welcome improved confidence, support, and welcome more opportunities to those seeking support.
Jack continued: “We offer an open door, as we want to offer our support directly and at pace.
“Building people’s confidence is important to us, we will work with people for roughly six months and help them train in our spaces – with the idea of helping into those career paths.”
He continued: “And the new space will aim to encourage that, we are offering a welcoming space and encouraging people to come in – we want people to feel space and it pays off because people feel that they can comeback.
“The refurbishment is for the future with all the development around us to say, we are not going anywhere, we are here to help and we want people to come to use us, and you are not alone.”
The facility also continues to offer a shop next door, and will be used to train and develop the skills to build a stronger CV and set people up for further skills.
The shop also allows residents to purchase 10 items for the price of £3, as well as other items from the shop such as furniture, and essential goods for the home.
Jack continued: “We help the community with food items, and the monetary factor helps maintains people’s dignity as many
The support offered also follows the charities values belief, opportunity, dignity, partnership, and diversity, key components to the decisions made at the facility.
This was emphasised by Fiona Nelson, Head of Services at Mustard Tree, who said: “Our values are central to what we do, and everything decision we make is from those values. They make sure that we are grounded and true to our core mission within Salford.”
Through the facility, they are also able to provide people with the opportunity to learn skills and improve, as Fiona continued: “We are able offer opportunity to do something different and reach them in a different way, by finding out what they want, whilst also keeping the identity of Eccles still buzzing.”
And with the redevelopments around Eccles, the changes to the building were made, and will have a positive perception going forward.
Although there was some concern at a loss of the facilities, as she continued: “With the developments, there was a concern that we were closing down, but they are excited now.
“They love the new space that is on offer, and we are getting a lot more interest in training, especially with the on offer timetable, it has given us an opportunity to do what we do.”
“There is opportunity to volunteer in a structured way, and we also offer creative classes that are a more soft approach, that will aim to inspire other areas,” she continued: “It is inspiring change, as some people never thought they could and were stuck. So people are coming here, meeting new people, learning new skills, and growing in confidence.
“Some people are just not aware of how much they do know, and how many amazing thinks they have to offer, it is just our job to help them get it out.”
The charity will also operates amongst a network of support systems across Salford called Elevate Salford – which include organisations; Broughton Trust, Salford CVS, Breakthrough UK, Salford City Council, amongst many others.
Jack added: “Our support hasn’t dropped, and we will continue to offer our support to the people of Salford. They are very proud and strong people, but we feel that some people just need that support.
“And Elevate Salford has been used to help people from around the area have the same support, but also offering something a bit different, we want to help people build a rich network of support.”
And this was further emphasised by Sandrine Beaunol, from the Elevate Salford Programme, she said: “This network is very important for the people of Salford, as we want to support everyone, and we understand that people need something community-based but across the city so they can access these facilities and workspaces.”
More information about Mustard Tree and the work they do in the community can be found here.
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