MP joins the Angels for a night

That’s Hope Street Angels of course – not Hells Angels MC!

Local MP, David Rutley, joined Macclesfield’s Hope Street Angels last Friday night as they worked in near freezing temperatures to ensure that homeless people in Macclesfield town centre received the assistance they needed.

David has long been a strong supporter of the Hope Street Angels Macclesfield initiative, which is backed by hard-working local volunteers. He has previously worked with them on a number of occasions as they go about their invaluable work in the town centre on weekend evenings. On this visit, David joined the Street Angels on a walk-about in Macclesfield to see whether any homeless people were in need of assistance from the WHAM night shelter, another Hope initiative, based at St Michael’s church on that evening. David also spent time in the shelter to learn more about the work that is being done to support some of the most vulnerable people in the local community.

The Winter Hope Accommodation in Macclesfield (WHAM) night shelter runs from November to March, and provides weekend accommodation at various churches and locations across Macclesfield. The service provides food, accommodation, clothing, and advice through the Citizens Advice Bureau, to those in need of support. It is run by a dedicated group of volunteers.

Hope Street Angels Macclesfield is a voluntary faith-based organisation launched by Hope in North East Cheshire in 2012. The group, which operates primarily on Saturday nights from 10.30pm to 3.00am, is based at the United Reformed Church on Park Green. With the help of Cheshire East Council, local publicans and the Police, they look to help people by listening, caring, and offering practical help on the streets of Macclesfield late at night. Local residents who would like to find out more about how they could volunteer should contact Pip Mosscrop, the co-ordinator at: pipmosscrop2@yahoo.co.uk.

Following his visit David said: “The Street Angels continue to do great work in taking care of vulnerable people in Macclesfield town centre late at night. I am very grateful that they are now also spending time on Friday evenings to help homeless people make use of the services of the WHAM night shelter, which is doing invaluable work in supporting homeless people during the colder winter months. I would like to thank all of the volunteers for their dedicated service and commitment to the community. I hope that more local residents will be willing to join them in the future.”