Hello Folks,

As you know, Mark’s nearest and dearest have pledged to run the Bupa Great Manchester Run (10k) again.  Of course we would love for you to join us, it is a fantastic experience but we would also appreciate your support in raising money for a fantastic charity.

Over the past year we have been lucky to see Mark’s memory cemented within the Salford Community.  Many of you will have passed the new Salvation Army development on Brindleheath Road, and it gives us great pleasure to announce that it has been aptly named Abbott Lodge.

Salford City Council in partnership with the Salvation Army and the Salvation Army Housing Association (SAHA) have been working on this new scheme to replace the James Street homeless hostel, which is no longer fit for purpose.

The vision for the project is to provide a new approach to support homeless people and help break the cycle of homelessness. The hub (Abbott Lodge) will focus on stabilising residents at the point of access through multi-agency partnership assessments of health, welfare and housing needs and support to acquire basic life skills before moving on to independent accommodation and support options that best meet the needs and wishes of the individual. The self-contained move-on flats located alongside Abbott Lodge, will create an internal pathway giving residents the opportunity for developing independent living skills whilst still being able to take advantage of the support and engagement activities, before moving on to live independently in the community.

This scheme was one that Mark was working on as part of his role with Salford City Council.  He was proud to be making a difference to our local community, so let’s see if we can help stabilise their future and have Abbott Lodge remain with us for years to come.

Please feel free to use this page address as your fundraising aid.  Pass it on to friends, family and colleagues and watch this space for more news.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.