THERE are currently no plans to bring a charity canopy back into use in the town centre, it has emerged.

Bolton Council will instead look at using the stonework from the canopy for other projects in the town centre.

Council chiefs said a new location at Bolton Market was being “well used” by charities that formerly held sales at the canopy in Newport Street.

But some charity bosses have said they are desperately looking for a better place to sell from and believe they are losing out on hundreds of pounds in their new home.

The Newport Street canopy was used by scores of charities to sell goods to town centre shoppers ever since it was erected in 1984 by retailer Marks and Spencer, which introduced it to mark its centenary year.

The canopy was removed last year by the council in preparation for its planned £3 million regeneration of Newport Street and the charities that used to operate there were moved to the temporary stall at the outdoor market in Ashburner Street.

Council leader Cliff Morris said: “The people that are using the market stall seem to be quite content with the arrangement, no one has complained to us."

“There is no plan at this stage to bring the canopy back — things seem to have settled down. I never said we would bring it back — just that we would look at the issue.

“The new stall is in the heart of things in the market area and it is well used and we are working closely with the different charities to help them.”

A picture taken when the canopy was removed appears to show it being demolished rather than dismantled as the council said at the time.

However, Cllr Morris said the roof of the canopy was leaking and would need to be replaced if the canopy was ever rebuilt.

He added: "The stone pillars were not damaged as well as some of the glass. We can use those materials again for something in the town centre."

“We will probably use the stonework from the canopy and incorporate it into other things in the town — we always need stone for things.”

At the time of the relocation the council said the charities needed time to get used to the new base.

But Kathy Walton, chair of the Pets Rehome charity, said the market stall was “not working out well”.

She said: “We are desperately looking for other sites that we could move to because we have not had a very good experience there.

“We don’t have enough space, at the canopy we had four sides to sell to, under decent cover and obviously we had a much better footfall from people who were passing.

“We are now forced to sell from a little lock up at the top end of the market, you can’t display enough stuff to make a decent bit of money for the charity.

“The canopy was brilliant — the council said give it time but you could give it a million years and there still wouldn’t be enough room at the market stall.”

Mrs Walton said that she believes other charities have given up and ceased trading from the market stall.