Bringing the Saltcotes/Lytham community together

Tracey (pictured top left), who runs community group IHOPE Fylde, is working with Lancashire County Council's The Reuse 360 Hub to hold pre-loved pop-up events in Lytham St Annes.

The first event at Saltcotes Community Centre was a success, allowing people to pick up pre-loved items for free before Christmas.

Tracey, who has lived in one of our Saltcotes properties for a year, said: "I was overwhelmed by the amount of items we received and the number of people who came. 

“It was nice to help so many other tenants and local residents, as they really did appreciate all the items. It was lovely to see kids walking away with smiles on their faces.

"IHOPE has been holding pop-up events at Wesley’s Community Cafe and Larder for a number of years. But building a community close to where I live in Saltcotes is also important to me, so this is just the start. I plan to work with Saltcotes Residents’ Association to hold more here and to work with other community groups and extend to Lower Lane Community Centre, which is also in the Fylde area.

"These pop-up events are for anyone, no matter your income. You can pop in to say hello, drop off any items, or take as much or as little as you want. It might be helpful to save money on items you need so you can spend that money on food or energy bills.

"The more we can pull together to show that we are there for each other, the better.”

Children picked up bags full of toys, clothes, and a selection box each, while adults took home useful household items.

Karen told us: “This is brilliant. I have seven grandchildren, so picking up items for them has been good.”

Tenant Emily said: “I wanted to come to support the community and IHOPE and show we can look after each other. It is a brilliant idea to do something like this.”

All items were donated via The Reuse Hub, or by residents, which are then redistributed at no extra cost.

Look out for future pop-up events at our community centres in Saltcotes, Lytham, and Lower Lane, Freckleton, later this year.

Sam Beattie, Customer Voice Officer at Progress Housing Group, said: “We are thrilled to support this pop-up event at our community centre and hope this will be the first of many. These events are a fantastic way of putting pre-loved and unwanted items to better use for someone who could benefit from them. Well done to Tracey and the rest of the volunteers for their hard work in supporting the community."

We want to say a huge thank you to:

• The volunteers of IHOPE and Lancashire County Council’s The Reuse 360 Hub for donating their time and collecting and donating items to support the event
• Jim who donated mince pies and selection boxes
• Saltcotes Residents’ Association for their continuing support
• The Lytham and Saltcotes community for donating items and turning up to support the pop-up event