'Christmas in style' after homeless charity saved

Lifeshare was at risk of closure before receiving a major donation

A homeless charity at risk of closure will be able to do its annual Christmas meal service "in style" after receiving a major donation, its boss has said.

A trustee from Manchester-based charity Lifeshare in September said the charity "wouldn't survive after Christmas" if it didn't get the funding it needed to cover mounting costs.

But executive director Judy Vickers earlier told BBC Radio Manchester Lifeshare had received £67,000 from a fundraising event by charity The Moulding Foundation, with further donations continuing to come in

She said: "We were looking like we might not even be able to do Christmas [but now] Christmas is going to happen and it's going to happen in style."

Ms Vickers added: "We'll be able to open from [07:00-19:00 GMT], have three meals, entertainment, doggy wellbeing."

As well as their annual Christmas project, Lifeshare serves breakfasts to vulnerable people from a building on Dale Street, in Manchester's Northern Quarter, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Ms Vickers said the service was also vital for helping people facing isolation.

She said: "[There are] people who come on Friday, Saturday and Sunday who might be in accommodation but they don't see anyone all week so it's a real community event."

Jodie Moulding said she established The Moulding Foundation in 2020 to "do good" for people in the north west of England.

She told BBC Radio Manchester she chose Lifeshare to be the beneficiary of a recent charity luncheon because the money was "pretty much going immediately to where it's needed most".

While the donation had helped save the charity from closure, a Lifeshare spokesperson said the charity continued to face increasing demand and costs.

They added: "While we are so overwhelmed by The Moulding Foundation's incredible event and many other supporters who have come out to save the charity, we must be strategic and forward thinking and use the funds raised here to stabilise and protect the long-term future of Lifeshare."