A family support initiative involving online retail giant Amazon, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Greater Manchester's mayor Andy Burnham was launched yesterday.
The scheme, based in Wigan, is looking to provide 400,000 surplus essential goods to more than 50,000 families in need in Greater Manchester this year. The ‘Brick-by-Brick’ project is hoping to follow on from the success of a similar idea supported by the former Prime Minister in Fife.
Wigan and Leigh charity The Brick were the frontrunners to help deliver this, according to Mr Burnham, due to their long-standing connections in the borough and across Greater Manchester.
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The site, just outside of the town centre, will be a community donations hub where Amazon and other companies can donate a wide range of surplus products and reach people directly through a network of charity groups and care professionals in the community.
The ‘multibank’ model, the original project of this nature, first launched in Fife, Scotland, as ‘The Big House’ in 2022. It was led by Amazon, Gordon Brown and local charity The Cottage Family Centre, which has now supported 50,000 families in Fife, Edinburgh and the Lothians with more than 500,000 products donated.
“We understood this is a model that could apply to other parts of the UK and luckily I met Andy Burnham and John Boumphrey, the head at Amazon and we thought Greater Manchester was a place that we could make a real difference. We found the right charity to do this with in The Brick," Mr Brown said.
“Once that was sorted things started to move quite quickly forward, and Keely and the others who run the Brick have shown that you can not only use the model we have, but develop it. I think this model in Wigan is something that can go across England, Wales and other parts of the UK.
“I saw that Amazon had goods that were surplus, and they have a huge warehouse in Fife, so I went to John Boumphrey at the top and asked if he could please help us. So we now have got 600 organisations helping, a warehouse that can stock 50,000 goods and we’re giving out to people that need them.
“It is working well, particularly this winter where we are seeing rising poverty and rising prices. So if we can help with toiletries, cleaning products, clothes, bedding, that is hugely important.
“People seeing this will say ‘can I do this in my area?’ but what you need is a charity that can bring all these things together. You have to have a referral system as well because people have got to know this is getting to people that need it - you don’t want it to appear on eBay or something like that!
“They want it to get it to the people that need it most, and that is what we can offer. The Brick is a long established charity - it deals with people in all kinds of situations and it has a huge connection with local people.
“We will see this expand from Wigan and into the GM area. It is a big enterprise, and if you’re giving out 500,000 items to people you are making a big difference.”
Mr Brown stated he wants to launch three or four more sites like this in other areas of the UK this year and the same again next year. He explained they need companies to come forward with goods and their expertise to help them deliver this elsewhere.
His former government cabinet member turned Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham explained how they identified the location of the Brick-by-Brick warehouse and how it can expand into the region. Mr Burnham said The Brick was the first charity he had in mind for this - considering their track record in the borough working with those facing homelessness.
“In Greater Manchester we have been rethinking from the bottom up on how we can reduce rough sleeping and homelessness,” he said. “When I went up to Fife upon invitation of Gordon Brown and he showed me what he created there with the partnership with Amazon linking into community organisations, I immediately thought this fits us perfectly.
“We are all about networking organisations and collaborating for the greater good and that is what this project is all about. Everything about it spoke to our world and I did think The Brick is the most obvious place to start because it is such a solid, established charity.
“What is happening at the most is that people have not got enough to cover what they need, so they start making decisions of choosing between one thing and another. It is about understanding how, helping people with other basics like toiletries and other weekly basics, and shoring up people’s positions and understanding how they got to that crisis point.
“For me this is all about making sure the referral system is really targeted so people can access the goods here. As you can see around the warehouse you can get a really personal package of support depending on individual need - that is what makes it more effective from a prevention point of view.”
All those in attendance were hugely complimentary of the work the Brick does in the area and their ability to turn this project around in the space of a few months. The charity is keen to take their local approach to tackling poverty and homelessness and grow it in collaboration with Amazon.
Keely Dalfen, CEO of The Brick, said: “The Brick, and the wider voluntary and third sector, is facing unprecedented demand as the cost of living crisis hits families hard. An increasing number of individuals and families need advice and practical assistance, and our services are stretched like never before. Added to this already harsh situation, we are now seeing significantly more in-work families pushed into poverty.
“I went to see the project in Fife and it just made perfect sense. We have been getting the warehouse ready for this since.
“We’ve had a lot of help from Amazon. We’ve had logistics expertise and donations which have both been key to us.
“In October we held a fundraising gala and I stood up at that gala and I made a plea - that we can’t tackle this on our own. We need cross-sector support and now we’ve got that and it is like a dream come true.
“What is important to me is getting companies around the table talking about these issues. We are starting talking about skills gaps, empowering people and raising aspirations of people and you can only do that if you have everyone round the table.”
The charity has seen many of their own success stories coming back and volunteering their help to give back. Many of those people were in attendance at this groundbreaking event for the charity and they hope to continue to be a part of similar projects across the country in the years to come.
Amazon are driving the logistics of this enterprise and will help deliver the goods to the warehouse, then once those in need are identified through The Brick and other associated charities, their support packages can be delivered. The warehouse will essentially work as a ‘click and collect’ service, according to UK country manager for Amazon, John Boumphrey.
“At Amazon, we know we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of people when they need it most,” he said. “We’re proud to work hand-in-hand with outstanding local care professionals and charities like The Brick, who have deep connections with their community; with other businesses that are providing essential goods; and with Gordon Brown and Andy Burnham to bring this new charitable model in Wigan and Leigh.
“The partnership model we have created has helped thousands of families in Scotland already, and we look forward to providing much-needed support to families in other communities in Greater Manchester this year.”
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