New location for Weekend Breakfast Service

From Saturday 16th March, the Lifeshare Breakfast Service will be operating from Limelight Community Centre in Old Trafford.  Hours of Service will be as usual, Saturdays and Sundays, with volunteers arriving between 6 and 7am, serving clients from 7 to 9am, then cleaning up and getting out by 10am.

Background to relocation

Lifeshare had been aware since January 2017 that the Charter Street Mission Trust wanted us to leave the old Mission building to enable refurbishment.  In September 2018 the Lifeshare Trustees made a decision that we would stop running Breakfast from the Mission at the end of 2018, and we would clear the building by the end of February 2019. 

What we’ve done to find a new location in the City

Over the last two years we have reached out through the media, through the network of charities that serve the homeless in Manchester, and through local government and the Mayor’s office.  Off the back of this, a number of options and offers of help were received by Lifeshare. Each suggestion or offer we received was followed up by us to establish whether it was viable.  Some were firm and genuine offers but the premises were not suitable, others were well intentioned offers which fell through when authorisation was sought higher up the organisation concerned or from the actual owners of the premises.  In short, Limelight was the only option which gave us a viable offer with suitable premises.

Why Limelight?

The facilities at Limelight are fantastic – a new kitchen, an entrance just for us and our clients, a nice warm room to serve the food, lovely clean toilets.  They have made a big effort to find room we can use as storage.  In addition the community centre has loads of other facilities we may be able to tie in with over time, including a doctor’s surgery, housing support, library facilities etc.  The team who run the place have been wonderful, really keen and excited to be able to work with Lifeshare.

What about the change of location?

There is a chance that due to the change in location, moving further from the City Centre, the clients we have served at the Mission do not follow us to Limelight, leaving them with no service and us with no service users.  We asked the clients themselves – of 23 we spoke to a few weekends ago, 18 said they will still come to Limelight.  We have spoken to as many clients as we can, invited them to join us at the new location, explained where Limelight is, and handed out leaflets with maps. This week we will be publicising the new location through other agencies who may work with our clients such as the Booth Centre, Mustard Tree, Coffee for Craig, Barnabus and more. 

Where is Limelight?

Limelight Community Centre
1 St Brides Way
Old Trafford
Manchester
M16 9NW

How to get there

On Public Transport: 250, 256, 263, 86 bus services all take you close to Limelight from the City Centre 53 bus route links Limelight to Cheetham Hill, Gorton, Belle Vue, Salford and more. Trafford Bar Metrolink is less than a mile away

From the City Centre: Go to the South end of Deansgate, keep going past the Hilton and Atlas Bar, to the big roundabout – cross the roundabout and turn left to head south on Chorlton Road. After about a mile turn right onto Cornbrook Road (Just before the Sharon Church), then when you get to the playing fields turn left onto St Brides Way – Limelight is the large building on St Brides Way – you can’t miss it, and the Lifeshare entrance is on the side facing the playing fields. In all it’s 1.2 miles from Deansgate Station.

From the University Area: Walk South along Oxford Road out of town, then turn right straight after All Saints Park onto Cavendish Street. Follow Cavendish St straight through Hulme for about a mile until you reach Chorlton Road. Turn left onto Chorlton Road, then after about 400 yards turn right onto Cornbrook Road (Just before the Sharon Church), then when you get to the playing fields turn left onto St Brides Way – Limelight is the large building on St Brides Way – you can’t miss it, and the Lifeshare entrance is on the side facing the playing fields. In all it is 1.3 miles from All Saints Park on Oxford Road.

Maps!

What’s next?

We don’t know yet and we are continuing to try to identify the best long-term solution for the Weekend Breakfast Service. With the recent publicity about us leaving the Mission a number of new offers have been made which may in time lead to something.  We are talking to various individuals and organisations who may help us to establish a permanent City Centre base of our own in the future.  Once we get settled at Limelight and see how it works out there, we will be starting to plan the next phase.  If you want to contribute either your ideas or your time in support of this please get in touch.

Thank you

Thanks for your patience and continued amazing work as we go through some difficult times.  Without the support of our amazing volunteers there would be no Breakfast Project.  Together, we can continue to support homeless and vulnerable people in Greater Manchester.