Macclesfield's Member of Parliament has visited a local community charity.

David Rutley, who was among the 650 MPs recalled to parliament in the wake of the Afghanistan crisis on Monday, found time to visit the Bollington good cause earlier in the month.

Building bridges to tackle social isolation continues to be an important focus for the Bridgend Centre, as we emerge from coronavirus public health restrictions.

Ms Rebecca Lea, Centre Manager, updated local MP, David Rutley, on his recent visit to the Centre on all that she and the team - both staff and volunteers - are doing to keep in touch with often vulnerable local residents during the pandemic and beyond.

The much-loved "Bridging Social Isolation" newsletter has been regularly emailed to 500 people, including Macclesfield Nub News.

Furthermore, hard copy versions have been hand delivered to another 100 across Macc and Bolly.

It provides updates on local news and advice on a wide range of subjects, including ideal local picnic spots and upcoming Bridgend events.

The newsletter has been circulated every week during the pandemic and, due to its popularity, even though public health restrictions have been relaxed, this will now continue on a fortnightly basis.

During his visit, David saw how the Centre not only has a busy stream of customers using their Bollington shop, but is also now allowing table service for teas and coffees and nibbles out on the veranda.

Their Roadmap to Recovery also means that people can attend the regular Wednesday Walks without a booking being required. Deciding their own COVID-restrictions to ease at their own time has helped those who use their service, particularly those with mental health issues.

Additional indoor activities will be made available at the Centre from September.

David was delighted to see how the workshop is being used by a team of local woodwork volunteers to make handcrafted wooden products, such as bird feeding tables, that are available for sale in the charity shop.

Bespoke items, including tables and outdoor planters, can be crafted on request and the team also turn their hand to repairs. Vintage clothes are also a popular seller, and an easy way to support them.

Fundraising initiatives continue to be an important priority. The Bridgend team have seen some real successes over recent months – most notably their sponsored hill race when they dressed up as superheroes and braved heavy rain to raise over £3,000.

Macclesfield Nub News are proud to have reported on some of these.

After his visit, David said, "Rebecca and the team at the Bridgend Centre do invaluable work in the community. The "Bridging Social Isolation" newsletter is just one example of how they have worked hard to support local residents in and around Bollington over the pandemic.

"As Patron, I am very proud of all that this active local charity is doing to help so many isolated and vulnerable people in our community – let's do all we can to support the Bridgend Centre in its inspiring work."

Rebecca had this to add: "We had a nice visit last Friday when Macclesfield MP David Rutley visited our Centre. It was a very hot day so we enjoyed some drinks on our fabulous veranda."

"We talked about the services we provide, the measures still in place to ensure that we can still social distance inside the Centre and our roadmap back to recovery.

"It was lovely to catch up with David after a year of dramatic change. Hopefully this time next year everything will feel much more settled at the Centre and in the wider world."

The 31-year-old charity offer friendship and company in their disability friendly space.

They also host events in and around the Macclesfield area.

To learn more about the Happy Valley charity, please head to their website.

Conservative politician David Rutley has served the parliamentary constituency of Macclesfield since 2010.

The 60-year-old, who met residents on his West Bank Road office pre-pandemic, can be contacted via [email protected].

He last visited the Bollington charity in September 2020. You can read more about that here.

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