It’s a miserable December day. Winds blow, temperatures are barely above freezing, and even the mildest rain stings your skin.
Still, there’s a more than a handful of people at the Wellspring Centre, near to Robinsons Brewery. It supports homeless and vulnerable people every day of the year - including Christmas Day, helping them with education, housing and health.
Today they’ve come for dinner — on the menu is beef stew or chicken curry, the perfect antidote to the worst of the weather.
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Among those tucking in is Jo Foley.
The 53-year-old used to be homeless, living in a tent by the river. On evenings like the one that follows this, she used to walk laps of Stockport town centre just to keep warm all night.
Now, she has a few jobs, and a place to call her own in Brinnington. That’s all down to the Wellspring’s help, she says.
“We are very much spoiled in Stockport, it’s a shame they can’t open up, but it is what it is,” Jo explains.
“It was drugs, the usual. I lost my father, my head just went. To me it was like there’s nothing left — it was only amphetamines but it was bad enough.
“With the help of these, I’ve got myself back on track. Every time I start to slip, they take me to one side and ask if I’m okay.
“They know each individual person, which as a service is massive. To know those signs is massive. I’ve come for a reference, but we can be self-sufficient and we’ll always need them.”
Jo now only comes every now and then, in part to check on other people using the service. She hopes that in the new year, she can start volunteering at the centre, to give something back.
One man who is a regular is Colin Poole.
“I come more or less every day,” he says as he chews a mouthful of curry.
“There’s food and people. It’s a good atmosphere.
“I’ve got a place in Lancashire Hill, but I’m short of funds. Universal Credit is not enough.”
Colin’s battled alcohol addiction for more than 30 years, and has recently taken a turn for the worse.
He explains: “I’ve started drinking heavily again. It’s hard at the moment.
“It’s something I’ve struggled with since I was 15.”
Despite his recent setback, he has nothing but praise for the Wellspring: “They helped me get where I am now. They got me a hostel, moved me through the hostel. They’ve been brilliant.
“We’d be nothing without this place.”
Mark Swindells agrees that they do a ‘fabulous job’. He’s here because he’s ‘starving’, he says.
Alex Knight, who manages the facility, says the centre offers both practical help and support to allow users to reach their ‘full potential’.
“Our team offer advice and support in relation to housing, benefits and much more,” she explains. “In addition to this, we also have a health provision with an Advanced Nurse Practitioner.
“The Wellspring is dedicated to helping people navigate through periods of crisis in their lives and enabling them to reach their full potential and manage their own needs, where possible or with the support of local services.”
