Through this campaign, we want to unite Greater Manchester residents to support people who are facing hardship and crisis across our city region - to act without prejudice and acknowledge that everyone needs help at some point in their lives.

We want to send a special thanks to Mike Garry and The Cassia String Quartet for giving us the words and the track to help communicate this message.

Calendar Update

The launch event for our 2026 Charity Calendar is less than a week away. Illustrated by Len Grant, designed by Simon Painter and printed by Hobs Repro, the calendar features twelve images from our Ancoats, Eccles and Little Hulton hubs, including scenes from our Community Shops, Food Clubs, training areas and creative clubs.

For each month, a short testimonial is included from one of the charity’s clients, staff or trainees. Free tickets for the event – which will also showcase pieces of artwork from Mustard Tree’s drop-in creative classes – can be booked here.

Join our team as a Driver Mentor

We’re currently looking for a Driver Mentor to join our warehouse team. The role includes, collecting furniture items from donors, delivering items to clients and customers - as well as providing on-the-job training to our Freedom Project trainees, helping develop work-ready skills.

For more information and to apply - please visit our Vacancies page!

Upcoming events

Tuesday 4th November: Mustard Tree host National Peer Network for homelessness social work

Thursday 6th November: Mustard Tree Calendar Launch

Friday 21st November: Mustard Tree speak at Decent Homes for all event

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who show us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, please consider helping Mustard Tree by donating money, furniture, food and clothing.

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

In our latest newsletter, former Freedom Project trainee Tom speaks about his time at Mustard Tree Eccles. From his diagnosis with Asperger’s Syndrome and difficulty finding work, to becoming empowered through his training and creating opportunities for himself - Tom’s story is truly inspiring and well worth a watch.

In Tom’s own words, he explains how Mustard Tree made him feel at ease, worked together to create a personal plan based on his goals - and how the weight on his shoulders was lifted once he walked through the door.

If you know someone who might benefit from Mustard Tree’s support, please check out our Get Help page, contact us at information@mustardtree.org.uk or call 0161 228 7331.

A Special Thank You

A Monday in July marked the very last volunteering session for Ian and Janet (below), who over the past several years have given countless hours supporting our Ancoats Job Club drop-ins.

Job Club runs every Monday and Friday from 10am - 12pm. Ian and Janet - amongst other volunteers and staff - have supported in areas such as creating CVs and cover letters, applying for jobs online and preparing for job interviews.

The selfless couple have been instrumental to the drop-in, showing an incredible commitment to our clients. We are forever grateful for all their support, and hope they now spend some well-deserved time with the family - thank you Ian and Janet!

Honouring our values, we’d like to thank the following partners for their support with this newsletter’s video:

* Mears Group for giving Tom the opportunity to thrive through the Mears Careers programme

* Brand Addition for offering Tom a work-placement during his time on the Freedom Project

* Keerthi (Kay’s Production) for use and set-up of the podcasting equipment

* Generator Start-Up Workspace for use of the space

Bank Holiday

A quick reminder that our hubs are closed on Bank Holiday Monday, but our Ancoats Community shop will be open as usual this Saturday between 10am - 2pm. Take a look at some of the items on offer below:

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

This means that for the next year, our charity will benefit from merchandise sales from the I Love MCR online shop, as well as various events.

The team even visited our Ancoats hub to speak to some of our staff, volunteers and clients to talk about our work - which you can watch at the top of the page.

Thank you I Love Manchester!

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

On the fringes of the development sits our Mustard Tree Eccles hub, and has been for over 10 years.

With a fresh focus on employability training, vocational partnerships and 1-2-1 support, the revitalised hub would like to welcome everyone from the local community and further afield.

On the reopening day, we asked some of our regulars what they thought of the refurbished space. Listen to the audio at the top of the page or below, where you can also find out a little more about what work has been done.

Last week, we welcomed Salford Now to write a piece about the refurbished hub, which you can read here. Local Eccles Councillors Mike McCusker and Nathaniel Tetteh also visited to meet our staff, trainees and volunteers. Cllr McCusker said “it was a great opportunity to meet the Mustard Tree team at its newly refurbished Eccles Hub who are helping to improve the economic wellbeing of people in Salford and find settled homes.”

You can read the full write-up via Salford City Council News.

“Once I’d been to Mustard Tree, I started speaking out. If I hadn’t made that move, I wouldn’t be here with Sisk”.

In one of our recent newsletters, we talked about Freedom Project trainee Hema and how helping to improving economic wellbeing enabled her to take a step towards independence.

I had heard about the Manchester-based charity Mustard Tree, which provides individuals with pathways to greater financial security and settled homes. From there I met Christina, the Regional Social Value & Stakeholder Manager of UK North, and I came to experience Sisk for the first time for work placement training. I was very comfortable, and I felt like I could do something really interesting with them.

Hema has now started her permanent position with John Sisk & Son, as a site administrator - you can read the full story of her career restart here.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

Watch the video in the header for more information, and click here to view all our current vacancies. Good luck!

Stepping up in Salford

Last week we were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett and his team to our Eccles hub, to meet some of our clients and trainees. Alongside Paul was Alison Page - CEO of Salford CVS - to talk about our future plans and partnership work across our Salford hubs.

The Mayor also visited our Little Hulton hub last year as part of the ‘Whose Art, Whose Culture’ exhibition - you can listen to his thoughts on the showcase here.

Quick Hits

* We’ve revamped our volunteering page. If you’re an individual or part of a team who wants to help Mustard Tree combat poverty - get involved!

* Our Food Club is very low on cereal - if you would like to donate some directly to our door, you can do so via our GiveToday page (and thank you to who sent us this generous order yesterday)

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

Individuals, businesses, charities all mark IWD in different ways, and impactful organisations and groups across the world deliver an array of effective strategies, resources, and activities.

This week’s soundbite comes from last week’s Freedom Project graduation, with Assia and Adetutu sharing their experiences of training at Mustard Tree, as well as their plans for the future - take a listen at the top of the page.

Here’s some other examples of how Mustard Tree helps Accelerate Action.

Forging women's economic empowerment

Maximising individual income is one of our core services, and has allowed Hema to take a big step towards independence - having recently gained employment after graduating from Mustard Tree’s Freedom Project:

I came to Mustard Tree to discuss my willingness to get into work, but I was taking care of my family and didn’t know where to begin - being at home for so long made me feel so lonely.

I started coming to the art and textiles classes to meet new people - I found a community here and started to feel a change in myself.

I joined the Freedom Project with my focus back on gaining employment. I started training in the Community Shop to learn new skills. With constant encouragement and motivation, I eventually attended a work placement - then was offered a job!

- Hema, Freedom Project Trainee.

Hema has now started her new job with a local construction firm, and still attends the art drop-in to keep in contact with her community.

Addressing further areas supporting the advancement of women

Mustard Tree supported former nurse Bev through a crisis, helping to restore her confidence and self-esteem after falling on hard times - by offering training and financial support.

“Even though I worked all those years in the NHS, this is the kindest, most caring place I’ve been. It’s like a family.”

- Bev

Bev - who now volunteers at Mustard Tree’s Community Shop - said it was “nice to give something back after they helped me out”.

You can read more about Bev’s story during the BBC’s visit last year, or look back at our previous newsletter.

Providing women and girls with access to quality education and training

As well as the Freedom Project training placement, Mustard Tree offers free and accessible courses and classes to help participants improve English speaking skills.

Through structured classes such as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and more informal English Conversation sessions - Mustard Tree is a safe and welcoming environment to learn - for both women and their children.

Promoting creative and artistic talent of women

Sometimes our biggest successes shine through our creative programmes. Drop-ins such as art, textiles and creative writing present an opportunity for women of all backgrounds to come together and express themselves in various ways.

Once in a while, we showcase artwork created in the drop-ins at our regular exhibitions - make sure to subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to find out about our next event.

Supporting women into leadership and decision-making

None of this would be possible without a strong leadership team, led by our CEO Jo Walby, Head of Services Fiona and Head of Operations Lindsey.

From our front-line services to vocational classes, women make up a vital part of our fabric, help drive us forward and keep us working to our values of Belief, Partnership, Dignity, Opportunity and Diversity.

Sophia’s Summits

Just before the New Year, we received a surprise Instagram message from seven-year-old Sophia:

“Hi, I'm Sophia (7) and I'm helping to raise money for your charity. My dad took me to Manchester to see a pantomime. On the way back to the car I noticed the homeless on the streets and it made me really sad. I've decided to walk all the Wainwright fells in the Lake District and raise as much money as I can for you! I will really try my best. Love from Sophia.”

Sophia has summited 4 of 214 Wainwrights so far, and we are incredibly grateful for every step she has taken! You can follow Sophia’s progress at @sophia_wainwrights, and help her hit her £900 fundraising target by donating to her GoFundMe page here.

Thank you to Sophia, and to all the women and girls in our lives who make Mustard Tree a special place to visit, train, work and volunteer.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

That man was 32-year-old Luke originally from Kent, but living in Manchester. He said he is a big music fan and usually plays at home but saw the opportunity to spread some cheer.”

- Manchester Evening News

Luke found Manchester and Mustard Tree after being made homeless in Kent. He used to frequent Manchester ‘as a tourist’, traveling up for the music scene, and is now training on our life-skills and employability training placement - The Freedom Project.

For a time, Luke used a wheelchair, and now gets around using a stick. He spoke to us about his difficulties finding work in Kent, and that potential employers had difficulty looking past his disability. He said that Mustard Tree has given him ‘the time and day - and nobody else had ever done that’.

You can listen to Luke’s update above, or at the top of the page, and find out more about the Freedom Project here.

Lunar New Year

Last week we welcomed the Year of the Snake in true Mustard Tree fashion - with a choreographed dance through our Community Shop and café!

The snake - which stretches several meters long - was created in our art studio - in partnership with Groundwork’s ‘Rag Revival’ workshop.

You can view the full gallery here.

Combatting furniture poverty

Donating your pre-loved items to Mustard Tree not only keeps our Community Shops stocked - it helps in many other ways, including:

* Furnishing a new property for someone who has previously been homeless and has moved into a settled home (we gift 40% of all our furniture donations)

* Reducing fly-tipping

* Redirecting items from ending up in landfills

* Giving an item to a family or individual in crisis

* Raising vital funds for our charity

* Saving you time, money and hassle buy booking a free collection

So the next time you have pieces of furniture, white goods or electricals you no longer need - donate them to Mustard Tree and help us combat furniture poverty!

Submit a furniture collection enquiry here.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

The first (above) is an audio clip from BBC Radio Manchester’s visit earlier this year, to speak to volunteers and trainees like Rob - who simply states - “where else would you go?”

“I used to deal drugs - a coffee machine changed my life”

You may remember Joe from the ‘Random Objects of Kindness’ exhibition with ‘Heard Storytelling’ last year. One year on, The Manchester Evening News caught up with Joe to talk about his time on the Freedom Project, employment via ‘Change Please’ - and how he is now helping others in our Community Café.

You can read the full article here.

2024 Wrapped

The video below highlights just some of our activity in 2024. We have had tragedies and lost people we care about this year – so we will celebrate them the only way we know how - through our values and kindness.

November Numbers

Our November numbers show the most new registrations in a single month, as well as the most support appoints we’ve ever carried out.

There’s not much more left to say apart from THANK YOU. As we always say - none of the above would be possible without your help, love and support. You make our charity what it is, and we have only the highest gratitude to you for that.

From everyone here at Mustard Tree - Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, have a great New Year and here’s to 2025, where new challenges and opportunities await.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

These words rang out from our Patron Sir Warren Smith - who we visited earlier this year to talk about why he chose to support Mustard Tree, and why it’s so important that we are ‘nailed to the ground’. Scroll down to watch the full video.

But first… October Impact

Striking numbers from October saw a record ‘11,210’ visits to our three hubs across Manchester and Salford:

Thank you for all your help - whether it’s donating money, food, furniture, clothing, volunteering or partnering with us.

Contact us to find out more, see some of our case studies and find out how you can help us cope with this huge demand and the reality of what is happening in our cities.

A Message from our Patron - Sir Warren Smith

Our ‘open door’ approach makes us ultimately accessible - and the resulting demand speaks for itself. At a time when over a quarter of charities that run shops are considering reducing their opening times due to National Insurance increases - your support gives us the best possible chance of providing the best service we can - for as long as we can. Thank you Sir Warren for speaking so passionately and compassionately about our work:

National Insurance increase for employers instantly added an unexpected £38,000 to our costs for next year. We need donations now - more than ever to cope with the increased demand and maintain what we do.

LISTEN: Radio 4 Today Programme with Nick Robinson

If you were up early enough last Tuesday, you may have heard our CEO Jo being interviewed on Nick Robinson’s Radio 4 programme about our New Welcome Hub. Scroll to the top of the page to listen to the full segment.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

Today’s soundbite comes straight from our Little Hulton hub, during our first ‘Whose Art, Whose Culture’ exhibition. Hear from our workshop participants and Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett about the project.

In early 2024, I moved to Manchester, where I found the Mustard Tree organisation. Their drop-in art sessions welcomed me with open arms, offering not just materials but a sense of belonging. I participated in the art project Whose Art, Whose Culture?, which culminated in an exhibition attended by the Mayor of Salford. This experience felt validating; for the first time in a while, I felt like my voice mattered.

- Bohdan - Whose Art, Whose Culture participant

The Whose Art, Whose Culture workshop 2 exhibition will take place at our Little Hulton hub on Wednesday 27th November between 10am - 2pm. No ticket needed - just drop in. Address: Mustard Tree, Little Hulton District Centre, M28 0AU.

Budget 2024

While there were some positive takeaways from the Government’s Budget around an extension to the Household Support Fund and changes to Universal Credit and Carers’ allowance, there were overall concerns for the charity sector around wages and National Insurance.

Our CEO Jo was featured in the ‘i’ newspaper the day before the budget, calling on the Chancellor to freeze the increase in NI contributions for charities:

“We have reduced our costs as much as we can this year to free up some cash so that we can add support workers to our team to help people out of poverty and homelessness. This increase in NI would wipe out those cost savings and means our existing staff and volunteers must do even more to try and cope with the increasing numbers through our doors, without the resources they need.”

- Jo Walby, Mustard Tree CEO

The National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) described the rising costs as a “triple squeeze” on charities, which already face increasing costs, reduced funding and higher demand.

You can read the full ‘i’ article online here.

Social Homes for Manchester

As part of our mission of combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, Mustard Tree is a member of the ‘Social Homes for Manchester’ coalition - a collective movement for housing justice in Manchester.

The following video explains more about the coalition, and how you can get involved.

Anyone can sign up to be part of the campaign. You will receive updates on the work of the campaign and information about how you can help us make progress. Sign up to the campaign mailing list.

Christmas Drive

Thanks to continued support by The Toy Appeal and our community partners, we’re expecting a bumper crop of Christmas toys this year. We are now directing our ask towards food, so we can keep our Food Clubs stocked with Christmas treats over the holidays:

A full list of items we’re in need of can be viewed at on our Christmas Drive page - donations can also be made online and sent directly to us via our GiveToday page.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

The Deputy Prime Minister took time to meet some of our team, Freedom Project trainees, class participants and partners, and was given a tour of our Community Shop, café and other areas of the building by Mustard Tree’s Head of Operations Lindsey and Head of Services Fiona.

Joined by Leader of Manchester City Council Bev Craig, we discussed the demand we are seeing, our partnerships, key challenges and the real opportunities to combat poverty and prevent homelessness.

We’d like to thank the DPM for taking the time to come and see us - we loved having you and the whole team was inspired by your visit.

Tough Mudder 2024

A big shout out and huge THANK YOU to everyone who took on the notorious Tough Mudder at Heaton Park over the weekend - enduring 10km of running, 20 obstacles and a whole lot of mud, sweat and tears - all to raise money for Mustard Tree!

We are closing in on £10,000 in donations - you can help us hit the big 1-0 by visiting our Tough Mudder JustGiving page - thank you!

Eccles Giving Day

Every year our Eccles hub receives support from local Councillors and volunteers around Eccles Giving Day - by organising donations for our much-needed Food Club.

Thank you for your support and help to keep our shelves stocked! You can find out more about our Food Club and how to donate here.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

Plus: If you have 15 minutes before the election tomorrow, have a LISTEN to our first podcast, where we outline the ‘Mustard Tree Manifesto’.

Our Manifesto

Communications Manager, Jack Barton and CEO, Jo Walby - share experiences and thoughts on what is next for Greater Manchester and why "we cannot accept business as usual - whoever is in power".

This is a call to action to address the causes of hardship - not only the consequences - through better planning, better policies and more accountability, regardless of which political party is in power. We hope you like it and please do contact us should you have any thoughts on the charity and what you would like to hear more about: information@mustardtree.org.uk.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

* The number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2023 has risen by 27% since 2022

* Rough sleeping has increased in every region of England compared to the previous year

* The majority of people sleeping rough in England are male, aged over 26 years old and from the UK. This is similar to previous years

Thanks to strong multi-sector partnerships - Manchester is bucking the trend with a 17% reduction in rough sleeping according to the most recent count. We are however still seeing an increase in new registrations by people who are in danger of becoming homeless.

Last week, Jo spoke to Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live about the new rough sleeping data, which you can listen back to at the top of the post or below:

Entirely Predictable and Entirely Preventable

A recent Guardian article cited the new rise in homelessness a ‘source of national shame’, pointing at the below factors as contributors of the current housing crisis:

* Soaring rents

* Inadequate housing benefit

* A lack of affordable housing

* No ending of ‘no fault evictions’

To tackle this, Mustard Tree is a member of the ‘Social Homes 4 Manchester’ coalition, calling for six pledge commitments, with the building of at least 30% social homes included in all new developments in Manchester. We have had some initial, promising conversations with Manchester City Council and look forward to developing these further.

Class of 2024

Once every few weeks, we host an event for graduating Freedom Project trainees. Last week we celebrated Stella, Ronald, Felicia and Hengameh, who had some words to share of their time at Mustard Tree.

International Women’s Day

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #InspiringInclusion - celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness about discrimination.

I was over at our Little Hulton hub this week, where our team and partners was supporting a gentleman called Jason* who is currently sleeping rough. We purchased a weekly bus ticket so Jason was able to keep warm and charge his phone, while we work with him to secure accommodation.

Yesterday, Jason sent us a screenshot of a message he posted: “A massive thanks to Alison from Mustard Tree, Sarah from Living Well Salford and last but not least to Charlotte from Worsley Job Centre. Now I’ve got three strong Women behind me helping me get out of this struggle - wish me luck folks…”

“Now I’ve got three strong women behind me helping me get out of this struggle I’ve been thrown into” - Jason

We’re very grateful to Jason for sharing this with us, which champions our female colleagues and illustrates the importance of partnerships between Mustard Tree and other organisations working together to support people in our communities.

30 Years Combatting Poverty and Preventing Homelessness

2024 marks 30 years since Dave and Shona Smith founded Mustard Tree. We’ll be hosting various events throughout the year to celebrate and commemorate with all our incredible supporters, including a street party and dinner event - watch this space for more details.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

*Jason’s name has been changed to protect his identity

In this week’s team briefing, we spoke about the importance of hope when all there seems to be is despair. We try to get the balance right between voicing our concerns about events and policies which may disproportionately affect our clients, and showing the adversity that people can overcome - against all the odds.

Hope can mean different things to different people. For Thom, it was about keeping optimistic about work opportunities after many months of frustration.

Thanks to Thom’s resilience and the work of our team, Thom has now been accepted on the Mears Careers programme as a Business Support Apprentice.

Liliane found hope from a newly uncovered ability, after undertaking a work placement at the Royal Exchange Theatre.

After spending time learning how to be an audience transcriber, Liliane ‘surprised herself’ as to how far her English-speaking ability had come, and how she could use the software needed to transcribe audience feedback.

“There is a way out. There is hope.”

For Haydn, he wanted to send a message to others that he found a way out:

Amidst struggles with dyslexia and societal prejudice, Haydn’s journey unfolds from the urgency of teenage parenthood to the depths of street homelessness. A gift of a guitar becomes a beacon of hope, igniting a remarkable path fuelled by love and the transformative power of music.

- Heard Storytelling

Mutual trust between Haydn and Mustard Tree led to opportunity and a chance to help others. When a job at the charity came up, he said that his ‘life turned around big time’.

Haydn has been a Mustard Tree staff member for a number of years, working as a Driver Mentor for Freedom Project trainees looking for a career in warehouse and logistics environments.

Haydn’s story - part of Heard Storytelling’s Random Objects of Kindness exhibition, is available to listen to at the top of the page.

In other news…

Interested in joining our team? Click here to view our current vacancies.

Upcoming Events

Check out our news page for all the latest on upcoming events.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

I Love MCR Awards: WINNERS

We are incredibly proud to share with you that Mustard Tree picked up the ‘Most-Loved Charity’ award at the I Love MCR Awards last week!

In a room full of 800+ guests from all industries in the city, we were amazed to receive this award to add to our win at the Spirit of Manchester Awards last month.

The achievement is a testament to the hard work our team undergoes each day to meet the growing need for our services, and we’d like to celebrate this award with our fellow nominees, whose partnerships in the city are vital to our own success.

Finally - we’d like to thank YOU - who heeded the call during the public voting stage, getting us onto the shortlist - as always, we’re incredibly grateful for all your support and ambassadorship.

The Big Give - Live Today!

This year we’ve partnered with the Big Give for their Christmas Challenge campaign. Between now and Tuesday 5th December, any online donation you make to Mustard Tree through our Big Give link will be automatically matched!

For example, if you donate £10 with gift aid, your donation would be worth £22.50!

Donations through the campaign will help year fund the Freedom Project - Mustard Tree’s life-skills and employability training placement. Want to know more about the Freedom Project? Check out the video below to hear from some of our trainees.

The Big Give campaign runs between Tuesday 28th November - Tuesday 5th December. Any donation - big or small - would be hugely appreciated:

Click here to donate to Mustard Tree’s Big Give Christmas Challenge.

Your Invitation: Winter Christmas Showcase

Next Monday our Creative Showcase returns! Exhibiting the work of our art, textiles and creative writing drop-in participants, the showcase is open to all at our Ancoats hub between 4pm - 6pm on Monday 4th December.

“Before I found Mustard Tree, my lifestyle was hectic”

Our Creative Showcases are not just about displaying artwork. Just like the drop-ins themselves, they are an opportunity for people from all backgrounds to come together in the same space, and celebrate each others’ work and stories.

“The ability to be in a creative space is really good for mental health. Creativity, music, visual arts and writing have helped save my life.”

Between the audio at the top of the post and the below video, Graham describes how instrumental art has been in his recovery, and how his creative passion has helped many of the programmes we run today.

Date: Monday 4th December

Time: 4pm - 6pm

Address: 110 Oldham Road, Manchester, M4 6AG

Price: Free!

Join our Movement

Our monthly giving campaign is gaining momentum, but this is still just the beginning. With over 10,000 people a month now coming through our doors, we need your support more than ever.

To those who have already joined our campaign or give to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and are much appreciated by us all.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

30 years ago today, Dave and his wife Shona took part in a Soup Run on the streets of Chinatown, an act of kindness that served as a starting point, and a vision to support tens of thousands of people across Greater Manchester over the next three decades.

Listen to Dave’s story at the top of the page.

In other news

Over the weekend we joined local residents from Miles Platting, along with Greater Together Manchester, CLASS and others, to help rally around a joint campaign called ‘Social Homes for Manchester Now’.

“We are a coalition of community associations, charities, think tanks, academics and social justice organisations focused on accelerating the number of social homes that are created in Manchester by 2030 - and ensuring this is done in an environmentally sustainable way”.

The coalition is calling on Manchester City Council to commit to enacting six key proposals in conjunction with the new ‘Local Plan’ to ensure a long-term commitment to addressing the housing crisis:

* At least 30% social homes included in all new developments of over 10 units to be enacted in local policy

* Stronger public Accountability and scrutiny for the setting and enforcement of developer obligations to build new social housing

* Establish a Commission on Social Housing for the City of Manchester

* Create specific policy for the promotion of Community Led Housing

* Develop a practical strategy for the renovation/transfer of empty homes into homes for social rent

* Ensure all new developments are climate and nature friendly

Sign up to the ‘Social Homes for Manchester’ mailing list by emailing socialhomes4mcr@gmail.com and writing ‘sign me up’ in the subject line.

Random Objects of Kindness - Joe

If you didn’t get the chance to visit the Heard Storytelling exhibition at the Arndale, don’t worry! You can still listen to the stories online, including the below piece from our Freedom Trainee Joe.

A pivotal moment at Moss Side’s Pepperhill pub is the start of Joe’s remarkable journey from a chaotic life of crime and despair to one of resilience and purpose. 

Random Objects of Kindness was commissioned by Manchester Arndale and created by Heard Storytelling, in support of organisations like Mustard Tree and Real Change MCR. Its aim is to increase understanding of the different factors contributing to homelessness and to support the importance of community support.

Join our Movement

Our monthly giving campaign is gaining momentum, but this is still just the beginning. With over 10,000 people a month now coming through our doors, we need your support more than ever.

To those who have already joined our campaign or give to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and are much appreciated by us all.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

The Homeless Listings

Whilst moving around Manchester during the past couple of weeks, you may have noticed ‘The Homeless Listings’ - a series of conventional estate agent ads that, rather than presenting desirable homes for sale and rent in Manchester, reflect the stark reality that people in homelessness face when looking for a place to sleep in the area.

We were incredibly fortunate to be approached by Leith - a Manchester and Edinburgh-based creative agency - who pitched the campaign to us with the offer of free outdoor advertising. Leith said "Ourselves along with Republic of Media donated their time along with media buyers who donated their ‘Out of Home’ sites to support the campaign."

Ed Brooke, Managing Partner, Leith commented; “As rents rise and the waiting list for social housing grows, the housing crisis in the UK is forcing an increasing number of people into homelessness. We’re all used to looking into estate agency windows at ads showcasing gorgeous properties, so we thought this medium would be particularly powerful in exposing the desperate situation people are facing today.”

We’d like to thank Leith, Republic of Media and all the partners who came together to support the campaign at no cost to our charity - we are massively grateful.

Spirit of Manchester Award WINNERS

We’re delighted to share that we took home the ‘Tackling Inequalities’ trophy at the Spirit of Manchester Awards!

Thank you so much for everyone who voted for us on the night, and to Ellie and Marvin who represented Mustard Tree to receive the award. You can rewatch at 2:24:00 on the below video!

Congratulations to all our fellow nominees for the Spirit of Manchester Awards, and to everyone who voted for Mustard Tree for the I Love Manchester Awards in November - fingers crossed!

Heard Storytelling at Manchester Arndale

It’s been a pleasure to be part of Heard Stortelling’s latest campaign: Random Objects of Kindness - which has brought together stories from Mustard Tree and its fellow organisations to the Manchester Arndale Centre.

Joe, Graham and Haydn (above) all contributed on behalf of Mustard Tree, with their stories available to listen to inside Manchester Arndale, or via the centre’s website.

The goal of the exhibition is to foster a greater understanding of the various factors contributing to homelessness and emphasise the importance of community support. Each “living portrait” is accompanied by an image of an item that played a pivotal role in the individual’s journey toward independent living. Visitors to the Arndale Centre can access the storytellers’ narratives by simply scanning a QR code on their mobile phones.

The free audio-visual exhibition will run until 23 October, and is located on the lower mall, near Monki.

Mustard Tree and Partners Declare Private Rent Emergency in Greater Manchester.

Leading charities from across Greater Manchester - including Mustard Tree - have declared a “private rent emergency” in the region and have called for major changes to help protect thousands of local people facing homelessness.

Stepping Stone Projects, Mustard Tree, The Booth Centre, and Greater Manchester Shelter have joined forces to launch the Greater Manchester Private Rent Emergency campaign – and are calling on councils, politicians and a range of other stakeholders to publicly recognise the crisis in the private rental sector and back their plans for reform.

This campaign aims to address the escalating homelessness crisis in the region, which the group argue is exacerbated by a perfect storm of soaring rents, frozen benefit rates, increasing evictions and the cost-of-living crisis.

The charities are calling for crucial measures to improve the private rented sector and curb the growing tide of homelessness. The campaign’s core focus revolves around the “4 R’s”:

* Regulation: The swift introduction and implementation of the Renters’ Reform Bill, banning ‘no-fault’ evictions and enhancing tenant rights.

* Rent Control: Greater Manchester should have the power to control private rents in order to protect tenants from unaffordable increases.

* Rates of Local Housing Allowance (LHA): Increase LHA rates and reinstate indexation to ensure that the private rental sector can be accessed by households in receipt of benefits.

* Rights: End age discrimination in the LHA system and discrimination based on immigration status.

Jo Walby, Chief Executive of Mustard Tree said:

“Only by recognising that we are facing a Private Rent Emergency can we start to make some of the local, regional and national changes needed to prevent even more people from experiencing homelessness.

“Our organisations are all dedicated to providing support to people in the greatest need, and we will continue in this mission. But it is also incumbent on us to advocate for a fairer, more effective system, where everyone has the right to secure housing.”

In the coming months, the organisations will be sharing further information and case studies to highlight the extent of the problem.

Join our Movement

Our monthly giving campaign is gaining momentum, but this is still just the beginning. With over 10,000 people a month now coming through our doors, we need your support more than ever.

To those who have already joined our campaign or give to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and are much appreciated by us all.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

This is my first blog to record some of the experiences and stories I witness in my role as CEO of Mustard Tree. My aim is to bring you ‘behind-the-scenes’, to see the reality of fighting poverty in Greater Manchester. Thank you for reading, please subscribe and let me know any questions you may have in the comments, or email information@mustardtree.org.uk, and I will try and answer in future blogs.

Thank you for your support - we could not run this charity without you.

Friday 30th June

We’ve had a busy week with press enquiries, asking our thoughts on Prince William’s campaign to end homelessness. Anything that champions compassion, dignity and love for people who are homeless or vulnerably housed must be positive. We hope this will be a long-term, local partner based programme of support - helping to rebuild the safety net around housing - something Greater Manchester has been focusing on for the past 5 years through the GM Homelessness Action Network, Manchester Homelessness Partnership and Real Living Wage campaigns.

We welcome to national leadership as we know how important our GM Mayor - Andy Burnham - has been in uniting different partners to focus on homelessness.

We also need to see real progress in building more houses. I don’t know how we can talk about ending homelessness without building homes? I hope we see changes that means affordable homes are a moral requirement of our society - rather than housing being a commodity for profit.

This BBC article talks about people living in motor homes in the US and made me think of a person I met last week who had been sleeping in his car outside our charity. He was on a zero-hours contract as a security guard so could not afford to rent somewhere. His car was stolen during the day when he was at work. He had never been homeless before and his housing assessment was 7 days away because he was low priority…

“I don’t know how we can talk about ending homelessness without building homes?”

We ended up working with our charity partner (Coffee4Craig) to share paying for a cheap hotel for him to stay in for a few days while he waited for his assessment and helped him work through his most urgent problems.

Trying to prevent homelessness is something we do every day and there are thousands of people a year that register with Mustard Tree (and other charities) whose pain, housing situation and financial worries are hidden.

Thank you to our supporters, volunteers and partners - we are so grateful for your kindness and care.

We want to build a movement for positive change - creating a space for people who are as saddened as we are by the inequity in our country.

We want to offer practical ways for people who care about fairness, opportunity, dignity for all to get involved.

Please join our High Fivers campaign, reply to this email for more details or message information@mustardtree.org.uk. Thanks for reading and whether this blog interests or irritates you, thank you for your time!

Join our Movement

Our High Fivers monthly giving campaign is gaining momentum, but this is still just the beginning. With over 10,000 people a month now coming through our doors, we need your support more than ever.

To those who have already joined our campaign or give to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and are much appreciated by us all.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

“Life seems to be becoming harder, with so many struggling. Cost of living increases and the pace of life is leaving many left behind. Whether it be economically, digitally, low skills or aspirational, life is passing by with many falling into a grey existence.

Mustard Tree has been an oasis, bringing hope in a barren landscape. The inspirational stories we are privileged to hear on a regular basis is no credit to us, but to the resilience that people gain once they receive a supportive and encouraging environment.”

“It really opened my eyes – I thought that’s 100% for me”.

Anthony came to Mustard Tree after facing many obstacles in his life, including ill-health, bereavement, and homelessness. His experiences had left him lacking in confidence. Anthony joined The Freedom Project, with two goals; to help other people and to get back to his old self…

At the end of Anthony’s time on The Lab Project, Megan, a Mustard Tree Freedom Coordinator, visited to explain what the Freedom Project is and what it could offer. “It really opened my eyes – I thought that’s 100% for me”, said Anthony.

You can read Anthony’s full story here.

Graham Hudson: Angels

We wanted to say a quick and heartfelt thank you to everyone who turned out for Graham’s ‘Angels’ exhibition yesterday evening - it was a wonderful event which showcased our new Olive Branch Cafe beautifully.

Graham’s artwork is available to purchase here, with proceeds benefitting Mustard Tree.

Food Club Update

The impact of recent economic events are now beginning to reflect on our services. Visits to our Food Clubs in-particular have almost doubled since September last year, leaving us with a mammoth task to keep our shelves stacked and prevent individuals and families from going without essential food items.

We’re now asking for churches, community groups, businesses and schools to think of us if organising a Harvest collection this year. You can click here to find out how to support Mustard Tree over the period - thank you in advance to anyone who is able to help!

Click the audio at the top of the page or below to hear our CEO Jo speaking to ‘Hits Radio’ about bed poverty, food poverty and how the cost of living crisis is causing a surge in demand for our services.

Back to School

We’re also asking for Back to School donations of stationary and school uniforms for our Community Shops, expecting that families struggling to put food on the table will no doubt also be facing pressures around educational supplies - we’ve updated our Online Wishlist so donations can be sent directly to us!

5-Stars Rating

A special shout-out to our food team on achieving a 5 star hygiene rating, after a recent visit by the food standards agency! Jo had a few words to say about the attainment:

So proud of this dynamic team who have taken us from 4 to 5 stars rating for our Food services. Incredible achievement as we are a complex and busy place! We feed 1,500 families a week through Food Clubs, serve hundreds of people a day in our training kitchen and training café - all delivered by our 100 plus trainees p/a under this team’s management and support. Well done you lovely people!

Can you help us combat poverty and prevent homelessness?

If you enjoy reading our newsletter and want to support our work, the best way you can do this is by joining the Real 10k and setting up a regular gift to help keep our services running. We have an aim to recruit 10,000 donors - each giving £5 a month - to help secure our charity for years to come - and create lasting change across Manchester and Salford.

Please join us in this mission by clicking the button below.

To our partners who are already supporting us with a monthly donation, please share this newsletter with friends, family members and colleagues - and thank you so much for all your ongoing support. Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and much appreciated by us all.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

On Monday this week, we recorded the highest ever number of Food Club visitors in a single day - 126. In any other circumstance, a record-breaking day would be something to celebrate. Today, we are left with the solace that we’re able to support more people in different ways - and we couldn’t do that without your help.

The graph below illustrates the steady rise in Food Club visitors between April 2021-22, driven by a cost of living crisis which has yet to peak before further fuel price increases in October.

If you want to know more about our refurbished Food Club, and how you can help keep it stocked, click the below blog post by Laura, or follow this link.

There’s no denying that everything feels a bit scary at the moment. The knock-on effects of Brexit, Covid-19 and war, now coupled with great uncertainty within our own government. When consumer confidence falls and inflation rises - people suffer. We need to remain focused on our mission in combating poverty and preventing homelessness, and will do all we can to improve the economic wellbeing of our people.

Audible Abseil

In lighter news, we had a wonderful time with some of our supporters at the Trafford Centre charity abseil at the end of June. Over 35 supporters took the 170ft plunge from the top of the centre’s Palazzo tower, raising almost £10,000 for our causes!

You can listen to highlights from Friday’s session by clicking ‘play’ in the header, or check out our Instagram Reel for footage from both days.

We’re now looking at packages for Tough Mudder in October at Heaton Park. Want to get involved? Drop us an email to information@mustardtree.org.uk to register interest.

Alex’s Story

Alex joined Mustard Tree in 2021, as a trainee on The Freedom Project. He had done some charity volunteering in the past, but had yet to secure his first paid job.

Through his previous voluntary experience, Alex developed an interest in cooking and gained his Food Hygiene Level 1 Certificate whilst training with us in the kitchen.

Alex has a number of learning difficulties including dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyspraxia. Through The Freedom Project, he was hoping to gain new skills, explore his passion for cooking and build confidence and independence.

Click here to read Alex’s Story

Today we’re hosting a tour of our Ancoats hub as part of the GMCVO Communities in Control week. If you couldn’t make the event but want to come and see our Manchester or Salford hubs, drop us an email or call and we can arrange.

Can you help us combat poverty and prevent homelessness?

If you enjoy reading our newsletter and want to support our work, the best way you can do this is by joining the Real 10k and setting up a regular gift to help keep our services running. We have an aim to recruit 10,000 donors - each giving £5 a month - to help secure our charity for years to come - and create lasting change across Manchester and Salford.

Please join us in this mission by clicking the button below.

To our partners who are already supporting us with a monthly donation, please share this newsletter with friends, family members and colleagues - and thank you so much for all your ongoing support. Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and much appreciated by us all.

But what does this mean for Greater Manchester, where there is already a struggle for social housing? Our CEO Jo Walby spoke to BBC North West Tonight and BBC Radio Manchester to give Mustard Tree’s responses to the announcement - we would like to share these with you.

Initiative could ‘worsen housing crisis’

In discussion with BBC Political Editor Annabel Tiffin, Jo explains why this proposal could worsen the housing crisis in Greater Manchester.

“At a time when we’re already struggling with a housing crisis in Greater Manchester, to then have an initiative which says we will reduce the social housing stock, and we may look to replace that with some vague initiative, does not give confidence - it breeds panic really”.

You can click below to view the whole segment.

For a more in-depth analysis of the initiative, you can also listen to Jo’s interview with Becky Want on BBC Radio Manchester, in the header of this newsletter.

Removing the safety net

In it, Jo speaks about how the plans could “remove the safety net of social housing for future generations of families”.

“It might help one family who would be lucky enough to buy their home, but it absolutely removes the safety net of social housing for future generations of families. We’ve had significant under-investment in council housing for the last 30-40 years. We’re trying to build this back up now, so the thought of selling it off again just fills me with dread”.

Jo goes on to talk about temporary accommodation levels, and how the cost of living crisis has dramatically increased demand for our Food Clubs.

This week, our Ancoats Community Shop relaunched with a reformatted Food Club, expanded to help accommodate the influx of new clients now in need of the service.

“It’s affecting more and more of us - we’re going to go through a really difficult 18 months or so now. So anything that threatens the creaking social services we’ve got in place now by suggesting that we sell it off to individuals, is really scary to be honest”.

To listen to the full interview, scroll to the top of the page and hit the play button.

Can you help us combat poverty and prevent homelessness?

If you enjoy reading our newsletter and want to support our work, the best way you can do this is by joining the Real 10k and setting up a regular gift to help keep our services running. We have an aim to recruit 10,000 donors - each giving £5 a month - to help secure our charity for years to come - and create lasting change across Manchester and Salford.

Please join us in this mission by clicking the button below.

To our partners who are already supporting us with a monthly donation, please share this newsletter with friends, family members and colleagues - and thank you so much for all your ongoing support. Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and much appreciated by us all.

The segment speaks about our current rise in demand for English Language classes, how we make our sessions so accessible, and also how food can be a gateway into other avenues of support.

You can listen to our segment in the header of this newsletter, or check out the full episode by visiting Manchester Mill’s Spotify channel.

Business Breakfast with Andy Burnham

This morning we welcomed Mayor Andy Burnham to our newly refurbished Olive Branch Café, where he spoke passionately and honestly to some of our partners and supporters about his leadership role in Greater Manchester.

We’ll have more news on the café soon - with a brand new menu for you to peruse!

The Cost of Health

One of the World Health Organization’s themes for their 2022 campaign, is whether it is possible for economies to focus on health and well-being. Our Community and Events Coordinator Laura has written about why the health of the poorest in Greater Manchester will suffer most from falling living standards, and how Mustard Tree drop-in sessions can help people build their self-efficacy:

“When people are waiting to access health services and suffering from social isolation, participating in creative and vocational classes can be just what they need”.

Fiona - Mustard Tree Head of Services

You can click this link to read the full article.

Coop Rise Network

Earlier this week we went along to the Coop’s Rise Network Ramadan event, where Laura said a few words around our continued food response in the city.

Coop Rise Network is a group of volunteers dedicated to advising, supporting and amplifying the voices of ethnic minority across the Coop group.

Can you help us combat poverty and prevent homelessness?

If you enjoy reading our newsletter and want to support our work, the best way you can do this is by joining the Real 10k and setting up a regular gift to help keep our services running. We have an aim to recruit 10,000 donors - each giving £5 a month - to help secure our charity for years to come - and create lasting change across Manchester and Salford.

Please join us in this mission by clicking the button below.

To our partners who are already supporting us with a monthly donation, please share this newsletter with friends, family members and colleagues - and thank you so much for all your ongoing support. Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and much appreciated by us all.

The independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation believes that ‘around 600,000 people will be pulled into poverty’, of which around a quarter are children.

JRF finds that families in poverty will be £446 per year worse off in 2022-23, compared to if benefits had been uprated in line with current inflation levels - Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Deputy Chef Adam Parkinson spoke to ITV Granada last week about our training kitchen, and how batch-cooking can help keep food costs down. You can listen to the audio in the header of this newsletter.

Our training kitchen serves to teach people how to prep and cook good quality food from scratch ingredients, as well as helping trainees boost their employment prospects by acquiring hygiene and food safety certification.

Easter Collections

Thank you so much to everyone who has already contributed to our 1,000 egg challenge - we are well on our way to hitting our target - here’s Laura with just some of your donations.

At a time when disposable income is virtually non-existent for so many struggling families, being able to offer Easter eggs in our Community Shops can help take away some of the financial pressure parents face to provide for their kids around seasonal holidays. According the a recent article by the New Statesmen, these small pleasures are ‘melting away’.

“In terms of any kind of luxury, is a KitKat a luxury? Yes, it is. My brain won’t let me [buy them]. It says: ‘no, we don’t need those.’ - Barker-Marsh

Thank you to all our supporters who have taken the time to put these fantastic collections together for our clients and customers.

Street Engagement Hub

Here’s a quick glance at the accommodation figures for February at the Street Engagement Hub - a multi-agency initiative hosted by Mustard Tree and working with the rough sleepers team, neighbourhood policing team, CGL Drug and Alcohol Services, Probation and more.

* In February the HUB received 106 presentations through the doors.

* 63 individuals were looking for accommodation in Manchester, and by the 14th March, 21 of those had been accommodated.

Hosting the Street Engagement Hub has enabled us to work with people facing crisis on the streets - alongside our core mission of combatting poverty and preventing homelessness.

“Coming here to the Hub and Mustard Tree has helped me a hell of a lot. Now I can get up in the morning and the first thing on my mind isn’t where am I getting money from – it’s what am I going to be doing today to occupy me. I wish I had done it a long time ago.”

The Street Engagement Hub operates every Tuesday and Thursday at Mustard Tree Ancoats - you can find out more via this article by Big Issue North.

Can you help us combat poverty and prevent homelessness?

If you enjoy reading our newsletter and want to support our work, the best way you can do this is by joining the Real 10k and setting up a regular gift to help keep our services running. We have an aim to recruit 10,000 donors - each giving £5 a month - to help secure our charity for years to come - and create lasting change across Manchester and Salford.

Please join us in this mission by clicking the button below.

To our partners who are already supporting us with a monthly donation, please share this newsletter with friends, family members and colleagues - and thank you so much for all your ongoing support. Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and much appreciated by us all.

This week we’ve been thinking a lot about the Poverty Premium, where families on low incomes could end up paying over £1,000 more a year for everyday goods and services - simply due to their financial circumstances.

How does that work? Taking steps to keep costs down may seem straightforward, but won’t be as achievable for people who do not have the disposable income to budget and plan. For instance, 50% of people who took part in a Greater Manchester Poverty Action (GMPA) survey said they ‘pay their energy bills through a prepayment meter”, which can be around £142 a year more expensive than paying monthly by direct debit.

There are many factors contributing to the poverty premium, but the below quote by Terry Pratchett from his book ‘Men at Arms’ sums up the issue perfectly:

“A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet” - Terry Pratchett

For more about the poverty premium and to view the full report by GMPA, click here.

A Look inside our Community Shops

If it costs more to be poor, then this article by our Community and Events Coordinator Laura explains why furniture, white goods, food and clothing donations for our Community Shops can provide a lifeline for so many across Greater Manchester.

Making essential items available at low-cost - or gifted through our furniture vouchers - prevents people from turning to payday loans and ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes, which so often lead to spiraling debt and consequential stress.

If you think you can support our Community Shops through in-kind donations, please visit our website or email information@mustardtree.org.uk.

Greater Manchester High Sheriff Visit

Last week we welcomed Mrs Diane Hawkins, High Sheriff of Greater Manchester - for a tour of our Ancoats hub and to discuss our ‘coming out of Covid’ plans.

The High Sheriff said: “I’m so impressed by all that is happening at Mustard Tree. What a fantastic job and such brilliant staff and volunteers. Manchester is very lucky to have them showing the way to meet the challenges of so many people in our community. A privilege to meet them all”.

Repeal of the Vagrancy Act

There was a win for dignity this week as the government has made the decision to repeal the 200 year-old Vagrancy Act, an “offensive and outdated” law which has sparked controversy and debate for years. The Big Issue has covered the story, which you can read here.

PJ Livesey

A big thank you to all our corporate and community supporters who are heeding the call by setting up clothing and food donation drives in offices around Greater Manchester - including PJ Livesey who have utilised their surplus office-space brilliantly.

Want to get involved? Link up with us by visiting our website, email information@mustardtree.org.uk or call 0161 228 7331.

Final Word

We want to say a huge well done to Shazia and Bayan, who both graduated from the Freedom Project this week! Both trainees volunteered in our Community Shop, whilst taking part in our Customer Service classes to boost their confidence over the last few months.

Shazia and Bayan are now pursuing careers in healthcare and nursing - we wish them the best of luck for the future!

Upcoming events:

Punk in Drublic Poetry in aid of Mustard Tree (last few tickets remaining)

Mustard Tree Charity Abseil at the Trafford Centre

Can you help us combat poverty and prevent homelessness?

If you enjoy reading our newsletter and want to support our work, the best way you can do this is by joining the Real 10k and setting up a regular gift to help keep our services running. We have an aim to recruit 10,000 donors - each giving £5 a month - to help secure our charity for years to come - and create lasting change across Manchester and Salford.

Please join us in this mission by clicking the button below.

To our partners who are already supporting us with a monthly donation, please share this newsletter with friends, family members and colleagues - and thank you so much for all your ongoing support. Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and much appreciated by us all.

Another exposé piece by Jen Williams this week has put Manchester’s housing dilemma back under the microscope.

It is a damning report that covers issues from Local Housing Allowances not being able to cover rent payments, the staggering number of children living in temporary housing and no-fault evictions being ‘given away like sweeties’.

There has not been, for some years, a single ward in the city where average rents can be covered by Local Housing Allowance (the housing benefit for private sector tenants). That includes several areas that rank high among the UK’s most impoverished neighbourhoods.

For a more in-depth look at poverty across the city region, we recommend the GMPA Poverty Monitor.

These boots are made for working

Special thanks this week goes to the Job and Talent agency, for their amazing donation of safety shoes for our warehouse team and furniture collection drivers!

In-kind donations are hugely important for us, and help to keep our costs down. If you have surplus items which you think Mustard Tree could make use of, please drop us an email to information@mustardtree.org.uk or call 0161 228 7331. Thanks so much for all your support.

Quays TV report on the cost of living

This week we were visited by Quays TV, who were reporting on rising living costs and economic pressures for people in Manchester and Salford. You can watch the video below, or listen to the full radio report at the top of the page.

The article reinforces our concerns that the next 18-24 months will be particularly difficult for those with less income - as inflation continues to rise on essential items such as food and energy.

Can your local community group, business or church help keep our food costs down by arranging a regularly collection? A huge thank you to everyone who is already doing this for us!

Volunteering

If you were at the MMU volunteering fair earlier this month, you probably had a chat with Will and Harry about volunteering with us! You can find out more about becoming a ‘friend of’ Mustard Tree via this link.

We’d like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to all our friends of volunteers, who have been crucial to keeping our services running during the pandemic and beyond.

Final Word

When times are tough and we feel like we’re fighting a losing battle - celebrating successes like the below are more important than ever.

The above message was received by our Freedom Project Coordinator Courtney, by a client we were supporting for some time through walk-in support.

If you know someone who may need help, please see our referrals page.

Upcoming events:

Run the Manchester 10k or half-marathon for Mustard Tree (almost full!)

Mustard Tree Charity Abseil at the Trafford Centre

Punk in Drublic Poetry in aid of Mustard Tree

Can you help us combat poverty and prevent homelessness?

If you enjoy reading our newsletter and want to support our work, the best way you can do this is by joining the Real 10k and setting up a regular gift to help keep our services running. We have an aim to recruit 10,000 donors - each giving £5 a month - to help secure our charity for years to come - and create lasting change across Manchester and Salford.

Please join us in this mission by clicking the button below.

To our partners who are already supporting us with a monthly donation, please share this newsletter with friends, family members and colleagues - and thank you so much for all your ongoing support. Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and much appreciated by us all.

Have a wonderful weekend.