Middleton Shopping Centre raises £3,000 for Lighthouse Project

Marie Gribben from Middleton Shopping Centre presents a cheque to Carl Roach from the Lighthouse Project

Families visiting Santa's Grotto in Middleton Shopping Centre in the run up to Christmas donated a staggering £3,307.32 to the Lighthouse Project, which is based in the centre.

The Lighthouse Project has been operating in Middleton town centre for the last nine years and is a part of Inspire Middleton - a local charity.

On Tuesday 14 January, Marie Gribben, manager of Middleton Shopping Centre presented a cheque to the Lighthouse Project team.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to all the Middleton families who visited our Santa and generously donated their cash,” said Marie. “Almost everyone we talked to was aware of the brilliant community work The Lighthouse Project carry out locally and were more than happy to play their part in supporting this charitable endeavour."

Carl Roach, Development Manager for the charity said: "We are immensely grateful for all the support that the people of Middleton and Middleton Shopping Centre give to the Lighthouse; there are many people in the town who are struggling with the essentials of life, but through the support we receive from the community, we are able to put that to good use through the various projects, activities and services we offer to everyone who needs them."

The vision of the Lighthouse Project is to provide a safe and welcoming environment where people can meet together, find support and access opportunities that are caring, social and educational. They have a passion for people, who are their focus, and for alleviating social hardship, exclusion, isolation, deprivation and inequalities.

The Lighthouse Project is an innovative community hub conveniently located where it is accessible right in the heart of the town. Using lots of volunteers it works at grassroots level and is designed to bring hope in disadvantaged and deprivation-stricken communities. They provide a wide variety of much needed free support services to those who would not normally have the opportunity or confidence to access.

For more information about The Lighthouse Project, please visit

• www.lighthouseproject.org.uk