An ongoing fundraising drive by an eatery in Macclesfield has passed a milestone number.

Macclesfield based pizzeria Honest Crust has continued to raise significant funds for their chosen local charity.

Honest Crust, based in The Picturedrome, began collecting for Macclesfield's Smile Group in 2022.

25p from the sale of each Honest Crust Margherita pizza has been donated to the cause.

The Smile Group hold support groups across Cheshire East, including Macclesfield. (Image - Smile Group)

Smile Group offers peer support for families experiencing mental health challenges during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

As of December 2023, a grand total of £3,500 has been raised through this slice of giving back to the community.

Richard Carver is the owner of Honest Crust, who also run The Depot on Chestergate.

"Myself and the staff are incredibly proud that we've been able to raise this money for Smile that helps them to provide support to parents at such a critical time in their lives," said Rich.

Pictured: Richard Carver, Founder of Honest Crust prepares a margherita. Also pictured are other Honest Crust pizzas you can enjoy in Macclesfield. (Image - Claire Harrison Photography)

The partnership began when The Picturedrome, the Chestergate artisan food hall where Honest Crust is located, asked for recommended local charities via social media.

"As a father-of-four, what Smile do really resonated with me so it was the obvious choice."

The Smile Group was founded in 2011 by Ruth Williams and Natalie Nuttall, who, while facing their own challenges, identified a gap in the post natal support available locally.

Ruth (left) and Natalie (right). (Image - Smile Group)

"We've had incredible support from the team at Honest Crust, who are an amazing local business with a passion to give back to the community," explains Williams, the Operational Director and Co-founder of Smile Group.

"Partnerships like these are vital to support Smile's sustainability, given the growth in demand for our services."

The £3,500 raised equates to Smile being able to run family sessions for a whole year, or could pay for 56 hours of a Wellbeing Practitioner's time.

Smile runs weekly face to face peer support groups in Macclesfield, Sandbach, and recently, a Crewe group has also opened.

Who knew buying pizza could have such a positive impact? (Image - Smile Group)

Honest Crust can be found in the far left of The Picturedrome, and on Instagram @honestcrustsourdoughpizza.

Their opening hours are 11:00 – 21:15, with slightly reduced hours on Sundays, and they are closed on Mondays.

Smile Group can be contacted via their website or on Instagram @Smilepeersupport, where information on how to access support is available.

Last October, the grand total raised was £1500, so a whopping £2000 has been raised in just 14 months. (That's £142.85 per month.)

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