Friends from a Salford church have launched regular weekly coffee mornings for the general public to help build community spirit. Salford Now reporter Max Lonsdale-Smith went along to meet them at their Ordsall community centre.
Churchwarden Pat may technically run the free coffee mornings at St Clement’s in Ordsall, but it’s safe to say everyone who goes chips in.
As soon as I entered I could tell this group had known each other for a while. Yet, as an atheist and an outsider from Hull, I was immediately made to feel at home.
As soon as I sat down I was offered a cup of coffee. Biscuits and toasties were also available, brought in by churchgoers. McVities digestives (the best choice of biscuit) and homemade ham and cheese toasties were just perfect as I chatted to everyone.
The atmosphere was incredibly welcoming, with the Salford church itself featuring some beautiful architecture inside and out. However I was the first new visitor in weeks, something they hope changes soon.
They have created a safe, open and friendly space at a time when many areas are losing their sense of community, something clearly important to Pat and the rest of the church.
She said: “My kids have been brought up in Ordsall, their kids have been brought up in Ordsall. This is my community.
“We used to come in every Thursday anyway, so we just decided to open it up and call it a coffee morning.”
Funding is always a challenge. She said: “It’s very hard to get grants now, we provide a lot ourselves if we can, but it’s hard work.
“We just want to provide for the community, we welcome anyone. They’re the friendliest people I’ve ever met.”
The church is one of the only Protestant churches left in the area. Built between 1877 and 1879, it closed in the 1980s but re-opened in 2005.
After my coffee and toastie, Marie showed me around the main worship space, telling me about Sunday service, and their struggle with declining numbers.
She said: “We’re lucky if we get 15 to 20 in service. But we love our church, we have to do what we can to keep going.”
- St Clement’s Community Centre in Salford runs the free coffee morning every Thursday from 9.30 to 11.30am.
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