We always hope that our Places of Welcome are spaces where everyone feels at home whatever your age. One truly intergenerational group is Middleport Matters Community Trust (Tea and Toast session) whose youngest guest recently was just 6 months old whilst the oldest visitor was proud to be 90 years young!
Running with 5 volunteers, three of which started coming to the group as guests, Alexandra shared with us Mary’s story and how wanting to get to know her neighbours a little better has completely changed her life.
“Mary came to Middleport Matters in 2021, she is a local resident who lives a short distance away from the community hub. Although she knew her neighbours to say hello in passing, she had never really got to know them. She started attending our Tea & Toast session and found that she had quite a few neighbours who also attended.
Following encouragement from Middleport Matters team members, Mary started to attend more and more sessions including Extra Time, Female Wellbeing, Stitched Up and Games Night. Through this she has built a strong relationship with those who live in her street and other residents. They now often attend sessions and events together and offer support to each other outside of our activities.
Mary has had some difficult times through the years of engaging with Middleport Matters and has received ongoing support from the team and people she has met through our sessions, she says without this she doesn’t know what she would have done.
Mary has recently signed up as a volunteer, she is very passionate about litter picking and regularly helps us on our community clean ups. She is looking forward to getting more involved in the organisation and says her volunteering will “keep her sane” by giving her something to do other than looking at the same four walls.
Mary Says “Middleport Matters has saved my brain, I come along most days and wish I could come along more.”
Tea & Toast at Middleport Matters is open every Friday morning, 9am -12pm at St Paul's Community Rooms, Church Square, Dalehall, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 4BY. If your local to Burslem pop in for a brew and to say hello to Mary!
