Wood Street Mission
Encyclopedia
Wood Street Mission
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
located in the centre of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Its office is in Wood Street, off Deansgate, near the John Rylands Library
John Rylands Library
The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands...
. It was founded in 1869 by Alfred Alsop, a Methodist minister, and Wood Street's aim is to alleviate the effects of poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
on children and families in Manchester and Salford. The charity provides free, practical help to several thousand families in need every year: in 2008, over 10,000 disadvantaged children and parents were referred for help. Wood Street provides those in need with free basic but essential goods, such as clothing, bedding, baby equipment and school uniforms as well as treats such as chocolate eggs at Easter and toys and gifts at Christmas. By providing the essentials, completely free of charge, Wood Street aims to ensure that no child goes without whilst giving disadvantaged families the chance to help themselves out of poverty.
Current projects
Wood Street Mission currently runs four major projects each year to help children and families affected by poverty in Manchester and Salford. Their largest project is the Clothing Project, which runs each year from January to November. Through this project Wood Street provides free clothing, bedding, baby equipment and toys to low-income families. In the Spring, Wood Street runs the Easter Project, and provides free chocolate eggs and treats to children affected by poverty. In the summertime, Wood Street provides free school uniforms to families in need in time for the new school year in September, through their Uniform Project. At Christmas, through the Children at Christmas Project, Wood Street distributes food parcels to families in need, as well as providing a selection of toys for each and every child. The vast majority of goods that Wood Street provides for families in need are donated to the charity by local people and businesses, through they also work to raise funds to buy in stock when demand exceeds supply.History
The early years
Established in 1869 by Alfred Alsop, Wood Street Mission was born in a climate of widespread poverty and destitution. During the late nineteenth century, the Mission worked in the slums of DeansgateDeansgate
Deansgate is a main road through the city centre of Manchester, England. It runs roughly north–south in a near straight route through the western part of the city centre and is the longest road in the city centre at over one mile long....
, running a soup kitchen, a rescue society and home for neglected boys, and a night shelter for the homeless. In addition, Wood Street also handed over thousands of clogs and items of clothing each year, as well as hundreds of toys at Christmas. A later development was the establishment of a Working Men's Church in Bridge Street. Through this period, Wood Street was managed by prominent local professionals, such as the solicitor C. J. Needham, and was financially supported by businessmen such as the clothing manufacturer Edward Tootal Broadhurst and the engineer Charles J. Galloway.
In the 1880s, Wood Street Mission started taking local children to Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
for a day at the seaside. This activity proved so popular that a seaside camp was built which provided accommodation for around 120 children. The seaside camp was operational for about 30 years and was closed in 1919.
Between 1896 and 1907, Wood Street Mission rebuilt and enlarged its premises in responding to increasing need in Manchester and Salford. Throughout this period, the distribution of toys and dolls to children on Boxing Day received much attention and was supported and attended by the Lord Mayor. During the early twentieth century, Wood Street continued with many welfare activities, including both the soup kitchen and night shelter. In fact, in 1910, Wood Street received praise from the Lord Mayor in providing help to a group of unemployed people whom the Manchester City Distress Committee could not afford to relieve.
The 1920s and after
At the end of the First World War, Wood Street decided to replace the seaside camp in Southport with a holiday home in BlackpoolBlackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. The holiday home, based in the Squires Gate area, was finally opened in 1922. With over 7 acres (28,328 m²) of playing fields and a swimming pool, the home allowed Wood Street to provide free-week long holidays to over 1,000 children each summer. Many annual reports highlight that children were also entertained on these holidays at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, the Tower Circus, the Ice Palace and the South Pier.
During the interwar years, Wood Street Mission held a range of social activities in addition to its provision of welfare. For example, Wood Street held community events such as cinema shows and sewing classes during the 1930s. While the Second World War disrupted some of the Mission’s activities (not only was the holiday home requisitioned by the Government, but also rooms in the Manchester building were used as an air raid shelter), Wood Street was able to run a centre for evacuated children.
After the Second World War, Wood Street Mission continued its welfare work in Manchester and Salford. Even with the establishment of the post-war welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
, Wood Street annually distributed over 1,000 articles of clothing and around 4,000 toys in the late-1940s and 1950s. The creation of the post-war welfare state also led to a very close partnership between Wood Street and statutory welfare bodies such as local education authorities and social services. This partnership continues today.
During the mid-1940s, Wood Street Mission also remained a focal point for the community and started a youth club, which fielded both cricket and football teams. By the early 1960s, the club had over 600 members and an attendance on a Friday night of over 200.
In 1963, Wood Street Mission closed the holiday home in Blackpool and bought Birchfield Lodge, a large outdoor recreational centre based in the Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
countryside. Birchfield Lodge had 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) of ground and offered a variety of activities to children not available in inner-city Manchester including not only rock-climbing and canoeing, but also fell-walking, caving, fishing. In addition, in 1964, Wood Street also provided an advisory service for children and teenagers with problems staffed by experienced councillors.
Later 20th century and 21st century
During the late 1970s and 1980s, Wood Street Mission responded to a substantial increase in unemployment in Manchester and Salford by distributing a larger quantity of clothing, bedding and basic items. Between 1979 and 1989, the number of families receiving this help rose from around 675 to 1000. Although Birchfield Lodge was sold in 1981 as a result of high operational costs, Wood Street provided day-trips for children to Blackpool in co-operation with local companies.Since the 1980s, Wood Street Mission has primarily focused on the distribution of clothing, bedding, baby equipment and toys. Wood Street's goal is to see that all children, young people and families in the Manchester and Salford areas are free from poverty and able to provide essential items for themselves and their families.