Local community groups feature on BBC North West Tonight

Photo: Rochdale Online

Reuse Littleborough

Two local community groups featured on BBC’s North West Tonight on Tuesday (21 August).

Reuse Littleborough, which aims to reuse many unwanted items and save them from the bin, and the community gardening project at Lower Falinge were both given airtime to share the good work they’ve been doing.

Since its inception, Reuse Littleborough has helped change the lives of many people both locally and internationally with your old items that have been kept out of landfill.

Now based at the former Royal Oak Hotel, Reuse Littleborough gives your unwanted items a new lease of life by passing them on to families in need and has its own mother and baby resource centre.

Michael Bamford, who founded Reuse Littleborough, said: “It’s great to get the BBC involved in spreading the word about what we are achieving in our local community. 

“We can only move on to achieve more if we have the volunteers to help: we have lots of ideas.”

The group has previously sent two containers brimming with life-changing donations to the Forever Angels Baby Home in Mwanza, Tanzania, and also supports the homeless.

Additionally, Reuse Littleborough will run the soup kitchen out of the former magistrates’ court in Rochdale centre every fourth Wednesday.

The community spirit over at Lower Falinge is also strong, with a community garden run by residents and housing association Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).

As a result, relationships and the plants are blooming.

Resident Marie Kelly, of the Lower Falinge Activity Group, told the BBC: “I do have mental health issues and I find it really therapeutic.

"We are not a sink hole, basically. We come together as a team.”

Fellow resident Sarah Richardson agreed: “It has done a lot for my anxiety, managing to talk to new people and getting me out of my shell, really.”