Find Groups and Community Activities

We are an independent, multi-skilled company who work with Charities and Voluntary, Community & Faith groups.
We do this by providing our clients with a wide range of services on a not-for-profit basis.
Our clients are driven by their own passion and commitment. But we know they sometimes need a bit of extra support. (When the sea might get a bit choppy!) Funding might be short. Key people might leave at critical times. Or they may be reviewing their future direction and plans - especially during times of change. We offer a menu of services to help our clients during these critical times.
In the past, voluntary organisations have turned to their local Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) or equivalent and we would suggest that this be the first port of call for most organisations seeking help. But because of the current economic climate it is increasingly likely that many areas are without a CVS or have a CVS with reduces resources. Therefore, we wish to be complementary to services offered by a CVS, or an alternative where a CVS cannot help.
For information on services that we offer, for example, grant funding applications or mentoring a key person in a group or organisation such as a Chair, Chief Officer or Manager. Contact us for a FREE consultation.

The Destitution Project (DP) aims to provide a safe environment for refugees and asylum seekers where they can find friendship, food and practical help. Our support is particularly focused on assisting asylum seekers including those who are destitute (i.e., with No Recourse to Public Funds)
The Destitution Project has operated a Drop-In Centre at the Victoria Hall since 2001 and also provides casework support for asylum seekers including those who are destitute or have No Recourse to Public Funds.
Initially the Destitution Project came under the umbrella of BRASS (Befriending Refugees and Asylum Seekers), but when BRASS moved away from the Victoria Hall to new premises in 2015, the Destitution Project started life of its own as an independent, registered charity with its own constitution, volunteers and many kind supporters. We currently have 35-40 volunteers and 3 part-time paid staff. We work in collaboration with other organisations like BRASS, Red Cross and City of Sanctuary who also support asylum seekers and refugees in Bolton.

The Drop-in takes place each Wednesday from 10am to 3pm. Casework services are provided at the Drop-in on Wednesdays and by appointments on Fridays from 10am to 1pm.

The choir rehearse weekly on Mondays starting at 7:15pm and Tuesday at 9:30pm. Currently 40 members, we give concerts when request for churches, charities, masonic events, after dinner entertainment etc whenever/wherever requested.

We know that many households have been feeling the financial impact of Covid-19. In response to this, we have launched The Mill Community Grocery in Bolton to help local residents with their weekly food shop.

We provide a great selection of healthy branded items that you’d expect to find at your local supermarket but for a fraction of the price. We’re run on a membership basis designed for anyone who is struggling to afford the everyday basics by offering a full selection of groceries for just £3.

We’ve even price matched a few of our standard shops against high street supermarkets and found that our members can save over £40 on each visit.

We know choosing the items you like for your family is really important and so we have thousands of products to select from each week with new lines added each day. Our members not only get to save on their food shop but they also get to play their part in helping to protect the environment. Lots of the items in our grocery have been given to us by local supermarkets and would have normally ended up going into landfill.

The food is all great, and there are many reasons why supermarkets have surplus food to donate. It may be there are packaging mistakes, errors with ordering or that the food that ends up too close to its ‘best before’ date for them to sell. So they’ve given it to the Community Grocery.

As we are reliant on what supermarkets donate to us we can’t guarantee what items we’ll have in stock for you on each visit, so you may find that you need to do a top up shop during the week for any key items you’re missing. We receive new collections every day and so to be the first to see what goodies we have in stock, make sure you follow your local Community Grocery Facebook or Instagram pages.

And there’s more. All of our members will be able to access loads of other benefits like job clubs, cooking classes, money management courses, mental wellbeing courses, parent/toddler sessions, youth activities, volunteering and much more.

How it works:

1. To become a member, just visit our grocery any time whilst we’re open (Mon - Fri 9:30am - 4:30pm) and we’ll get you signed up straight away and then walk you through your first shop. It’s £5 for 1 years membership and you can visit our grocery twice a week.

2. A standard shop in the grocery is £3 and at the start of the day we set limits on how much you can take from each section depending on how much supply we have. A normal £3 shop will typically fill 2-3 shopping bags include the following items:

• 1 Sliced Loaf of Bread
• 5 Portions of Fruit & Veg
• 5 Shelf Items (things like cereal, pasta, sauces, crisps, chocolate etc.)
• 2 Fridge Items
• 2 Frozen Items
• 2 Mix & Match Items (a selection of different tinned food)
• 1 Non-Food Item
• 1 PPE Item (masks or sanitiser)
• We also have some little extra items you can get on top of your shop
for £0.50. These include items like fresh milk or eggs.

3. All of our Community Groceries will also be running a variety of free services and events to get to know our members better and help support them with any specific needs. Once these go live, you can sign up for them in the grocery.

TCG provides a singing therapeutic intervention led by both an experienced musician and vocal coach, and a qualified health professional. The aim is to improve the mental health of participants through group singing involvement. This is achieved in several ways, and is tailored to meet the particular circumstances of the participants and staff. It can take place in community venues as well as health and social care settings.
Much work is carried out in care homes and sheltered accommodation, and includes individuals experiencing various mental health issues, including depression and dementia.
The interventions can initiate a specific community choir, led by TCG, to reduce issues of anxiety, depression and isolation.
TCG also run an interactive course of sessions of therapeutic group singing for those experiencing mental illness at all levels. Participants are involved in the choice of songs and ownership of the project.
Volunteers are vital to the interaction, and provide a valuable contribution. And it’s fun.

We are a swimming club run by volunteers, teaching children from the age of 4 how to swim and water safety. Our volunteers can be from 12+ and we welcome children doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (D of E). We provide training and support for volunteers and the potential to gain a nationally recognised qualification.

We teach ESOL, maths and basic I.T. mainly to asylum seekers and refugees. We also develop employment skills and promote cultural and community cohesion. People from the local community are welcome, if they want to improve their English.

Free kayaking sessions available for youth and community groups from Bolton and across Greater Manchester

WAC is a vibrant youth project beside the Ashton Canal in Droylsden, Tameside. Youth work alongside canoes and water promotes broad social, educational and recreational objectives, focusing on developing confidence and self-esteem, awareness of self, others and the environment, and communication and collaborative working.

WAC aims to work with those most affected by disability, discrimination and disadvantage, and grants are sought to make the provision free or very low cost.

World famous Wingates band, a self funded band based in Westhoughton, Bolton. The Band meet on a Tuesday and Thursday. www.wingatesbrassband.co.uk