Inside a historic mill is a tearoom that harks back to the past but has a keen eye on improving the present and future.
Moving into Leigh Spinners Mill late last year, the Spinners Tea Room is decorated in a 1920s theme to pay homage to the mill's history and offers customers a cosy place to meet and enjoy a cup of tea or cake.
While the tearoom evokes memories of times gone by, the space is much more than just a themed cafe as it is also houses a multi-pronged project that aims to bring people together and help families in need.
While the venue offers a space to meet and socialise, it also has various other uses under the Verve Community Interest Company banner.
Following the financial difficulties of the past few years, the Verve group encourages customers and residents to knit baby clothes, toys, and blankets, which are then delivered to charities and families in need.
The Spinners space also houses the "Verve Recruitment" project, which recruits foster carers to care, educate, and mentor young people in the non-for-profit sector, and aims to link up armed forces veterans to other veterans who are struggling and in need of support.
The hub also accommodates Spotlite, a digital app that integrates all documents and DBS checks in one place. This technology aims to store important documents in a safe and secure place and allows recruitment to run more efficiently.
With Verve CIC working remotely for the past six years, the group was launched by Val Hogan, a former foster carer recruiter who realised how many children are in desperate need of a loving family.
When Val started writing online blogs about the situation during the pandemic, this is when Verve began to develop further in the attempt to help as many people as possible.
Val, from Lowton, said: "From my previous work, I realised how many children are being ripped up from their families and are in desperate need of a loving home.
"I started writing blogs about it, not really thinking it would go anywhere, but Verve started to grow from there so I eventually started to look for a permanent space.
"That's where the tea room started, which is a gentle place and that evokes memories, but it also brings people together to create change.
"It is something that gives people a purpose because our projects resonate with a lot of people, and customers can come here and see how they can help in a variety of ways."
More information about Verve CIC can be found here.
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