Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast showcases Hope

The Mayor of Macclesfield, Councillor Janet Jackson, hosted the seventh annual Prayer Breakfast in the Assembly Room of Macclesfield Town Hall on Friday 27^th February organised by Hope in North East Cheshire.  This was attended by some eighty representatives of Christian organisations and their guests.  Councillor Jackson told us, ‘The Prayer Breakfast is a wonderful coming together of so many brilliant groups doing such marvellous work in the Macclesfield community – very uplifting and inspiring.’

Established in 2009, Hope brings together some thirty-nine Churches of many denominations in Macclesfield, Bollington and the surrounding villages.  Through the good work it does, it shows the Churches’ commitment to each other and to their local communities. Hope involves lots of members of the Churches as volunteers in a wide range of initiatives encouraging like-minded people to come together to share their passions in making things happen.

Those who lead these organisations invited guests who work with them from the Local Authority, the Police, the Health Services and other organisations, as well as executives from local businesses, to join them for the Breakfast. They learned more about what these organisations are doing for the benefit of those who live in the area and were thanked in the prayers for their enthusiastic support and commitment.  Pip Mosscrop, the Co-ordinator of Hope, commented, ‘We are delighted that Hope involves so many local people who show their commitment to their communities through their practical service day-in and day-out.’

The initiatives established by Hope in NE Cheshire and its predecessors, Churches Together in Macclesfield and Bollington, include Just Drop In providing advice and support to young people; Furnaround recycling furniture to those in need; the Hope Centre café and bookshop in Park Green; the Silklife Foodbank; Street Angels Macclesfield on the streets every Saturday night helping anyone in need; the Cre8 Youth and Community Project on the Moss Rose Estate; and, newest of all, Winter Hope Accommodation in Macclesfield (WHAM!) which provides shelter, food and advice for those who find themselves homeless at the weekends in the winter months.

David Rutley, MP for Macclesfield, said, “It has been encouraging to see this event develop into an established fixture over recent years, and it is great to see so many people attend. The Prayer Breakfast helps demonstrate the strong community spirit and commitment which exists in Macclesfield. I would like to thank Hope in North East Cheshire and everyone here for all their hard work in our community during the last year, which is much appreciated by so many residents.”

If you would like to know more about Hope in North East Cheshire and these initiatives just email Pip Mosscrop at pipmosscrop2@yahoo.co.uk.