Police enlist local charity to help a family in need

Reuse Littleborough

Rochdale police have enlisted the help of a local charity in order to help a family in need.

The force are understood to have contacted Reuse Littleborough, after the local group was mentioned during an emergency meeting.

After contacting the group, police attended Reuse Littleborough’s new mother and baby resource centre with a list of items desperately needed to help a family living in a rat-infested house, including a mother fleeing domestic violence and 14-day old baby.

Michael Bamford, who runs the group, said: “Reuse Littleborough was mentioned in an emergency meeting and they contacted us and came to our resource centre with a list of baby essentials that were desperately needed.

“These three amazing police officers, themselves mothers, were like kids in a candy shop.

“They left with a pram, a big bag of newborn baby clothes, some nappies, a relaxer, steriliser, bedding, some new shoes and clothes for an older little girl and some warm coats.

"Their search was thorough, they went through all our boxes and drawers and left no stone unturned, and just as they got themselves and the items squeezed into the car, we crowbarred in a rocking horse.”

The local charity at Stevenson Square aims to reuse many everyday items that would otherwise end up in the bin.

Recently, the group sent their second container of donated goods to the Forever Angels Baby Home in Mwanza, Tanzania. They chose to support the baby home due to an upcoming ban on imports of used clothing entering Tanzania by next year and because the first container helped change so many children’s lives.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/115942/reuse-littleborough-ship-container-of-hope-to-mwanza

The container is currently near the United Arab Emirates ahead of its arrival in Africa, after travelling through the Red Sea. Michael will be travelling out to Tanzania in the near future to help unload and sort the donations when it has safely arrived.