A NEW community hub is hoping to become a go-to spot for vital services in Westhoughton.

Westhoughton One Stop, based in St George’s Avenue, Daisy Hill, is hoping to provide an array of amenities for locals as soon as it can open.

And Anne Marie Broadley, who helped set up the shop, said she and other community members felt there was “a real demand” for the service.

She said: “We recently got our own premises and we will hopefully be opening when lockdown ends and we are able to do so.

“It’ll be a community shop to sell furniture for a cheaper price, clothing and lots of advice for people too. We plan to have sessions on money advice, mental health issues, legal issues - there is a lot we plan to do.”

Anne said the idea had started out on Facebook, before growing into the idea it is now over the last few months. She has a background in fundraising and charity work, has been taking part in the discussions and said that she is excited about what the store can offer for people in the community.

She said: “We talked about what we could do and decided to go this way as we felt like there is a real demand for it here. If people around here wanted to go to a Citizen’s Advice bureau, they have to all the way to Bolton and that can be really difficult, especially if you have small children.

“We hope this can be a closer alternative that can really help the community.”

Among other things the shop would like to run are a uniform swap system, food bank services, internet facilities and access to welfare needs. The group is already sending out more than a dozen emergency food packs each month.

The shop will be run by volunteers, with chairman Chris Hill planning to be on hand at the site to help with any needs that come their way. For more information, search for ‘Westhoughton One Stop’ on Facebook.