Emmaus Bolton has welcomed Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi on a tour of our homelessness charity to find out more about our support for vulnerable people.
Ms Qureshi went behind the scenes of our social enterprises, including the charity’s wood workshops where she met Simon who is developing skills in making furniture.
Simon, who is supported by Emmaus, said: “It is great we were acknowledged by the MP in Bolton and that she has come to see what we do. It is nice how she met the lads and was very friendly and welcoming.”
Ms Qureshi also met some of the charity’s volunteers Hazel and Sokha, who were creating draught excluders at Emmaus Bolton’s recycling centre. The charity distributed these last winter to help people in fuel poverty.
MP Yasmin Qureshi said: “It’s always a pleasure to visit Emmaus Bolton and see first-hand the vital work that Tony and the team do.
“Alongside supporting the homeless Emmaus go above and beyond for the community, whether it’s providing low-cost furniture or white goods for those in need, building ‘Buddi Benches’ for local schools or providing food for those who are struggling.
“We should all be proud of the incredible work Emmaus Bolton has done for the community in the last 19 years. I will do all that I can to continue supporting them and their causes.”
When Emmaus Bolton opened as a solution to homelessness in 2005, it was self-built by the people who were part of the charity at the time, which has continued throughout the years as people have joined and moved on.
Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of Emmaus Bolton’s work to help formerly homeless people and others in need. An expansion in recent years has been the opening of a food pantry on site serving people in need.
Tony Stephenson, Chief Executive Officer of Emmaus Bolton, said: “We were delighted to welcome MP Yasmin Qureshi to our Emmaus community to see Emmaus Bolton’s solution to homelessness and how we are reducing the number of unwanted items going to landfill at our recycling centre. We look forward to working more closely with Yasmin in future and her continued support of our homelessness charity.”
You can find out how you can get involved to help Emmaus Bolton, by visiting our Support Us page here.