Big Hearts of the Community

Big hearts, big ideas and great success. That’s the group ‘Compassion in Action’, who offer everything from friendly advice to NVQ courses, home furniture packages to cookery demonstrations.

Their Lowton outreach centre has only been open a few months, but has already seen visits from the Mayor of Wigan, bosses from Wigan & Leigh Housing and prominent members of the local Rotary Club and churches.

This week, Lord Peter Smith, leader of Wigan Council, called round to thank the group personally for their community work.

“This is an outstanding example of dedication on behalf of local people,” said Cllr Smith. “The caring spirit and the can-do attitude of everyone here is a shining example – I wanted to come here and thank them on behalf of the people of the borough for their continued success.”

Manager Pam Gilligan said: “This is a real team effort. Everyone is equally valued here and the work we do to meet people’s needs can only be done in a close knit team. Our motto is to meet people’s needs and so many people come together to help us do just that.”

As a partner with the council through initiatives such as Sure Start, the Youth Service and Greater Manchester Police, Compassion in Action has made a strong impact on addressing issues and problems many people and families find themselves experiencing. A refuge for homeless people at Christmas provided warm and dignified surroundings for a number of people in the Leigh area who would have had nowhere else to go to, and the gift of a cooker to someone just starting out, are two examples that Pam and her team give of the practical work they deliver across the borough, as well as into Warrington and Culcheth too.

Cllr Smith added: “By working closely with people who know their area and deliver great results every day, the council and partners can meet the needs of everyone in our community.”