Wigan and the art of building better self-reliance

摘要

Down a dark, cobbled alleyway in Wigan town centre is The Brick, a homeless shelter and hive of activity. It was founded by the energetic and admirable Trish Green, a woman with a habit of taking on new challenges. The charity already runs one of the borough's busiest food banks. Now Trish is planning a new venture giving people skills to help them get jobs. She's setting up a social enterprise providing training opportunities for the long-term unemployed, people with mental health issues and those who have just been released from prison. It is Trish's latest challenge and I'm pleased to say Wigan Council is playing a major part in making it a reality. Through our Community Investment Fund, we have awarded the project £160,000.