For the last 20 years Mustard Tree has been committed to helping the homeless and marginalised across Greater Manchester. For most of that time, we have been operating from our headquarters in Ancoats, where our various projects, courses and training programs are run. At the start of 2012 we also opened a small retail unit in the centre of Eccles, which has provided essential services for clients but without the space to develop our other projects and courses.

Now that our future is secure in Manchester city centre, we’re glad to be expanding our services to Little Hulton, a suburb of Salford from 10:00 on Tuesday, 4 November 2014. We work with around 4,500 people clients a year and for the large number of these who come from the Salford area, we know this new base will make a massive difference, being in a much more convenient location for them to contribute to and benefit from our services.

Mustard Tree is planning to offer the following key services in Unit 50, Little Hulton District Centre, which previously housed the Brierley Community Centre.

• Providing emergency food parcels, low-cost clothing and furniture.

• Training, volunteering and employment opportunities to help clients rebuild their lives and progress towards being valued contributors to society.

• Working with the local community to deliver local solutions and generate local benefits.

This will take time and support to achieve, but we are confident that the Little Hulton base will become an integral part of the Salfordian community. We’re currently working on our opening times so this will be communicated ASAP. Within 6-12 months of establishing our base, we intend to start providing training programmes. From the very beginning, as well as in the long term, we will need volunteers – first to help us with some minor construction work and then for the running of the shop. If you are interested in being part of our new base, look at our volunteering opportunities for more information.

We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to City West Housing Trust and Churches Together for all of their support on this project as we couldn’t have got to where we are without them.

Written by Jamie Faulkner, FireCask