The partnership between The Brick Multibank and Wigan's Family Hubs has become a vital source of support for local families experiencing financial hardship and crisis. Through the collaborative efforts of the Formby Avenue Family Hub in Atherton, Family Hub in Leigh (Walmsley Road), and The Meadows Family Hub in Wigan Centre, families across the borough are able to access essential household items when they need them most.
Overview
“The Brick Multibank is one of a series of mulitbanks across the UK that take surplus new stock from companies such as Amazon, P&G and L’Oreal and redistribute essential items to people that need them most.
The partnership between The Brick Multibank and Wigan's Family Hubs has become a vital source of support for local families experiencing financial hardship and crisis.
Through the collaborative efforts of the Formby Avenue Family Hub in Atherton, Family Hub in Leigh (Walmsley Road), and The Meadows Family Hub in Wigan Centre, families across the borough are able to access essential household items when they need them most. By working together, the three hubs help ensure that families throughout Wigan have equitable access to practical support regardless of where they live.
The support available through The Brick Multibank has proved invaluable in helping families establish safe and comfortable homes, meet their children's basic needs, and reduce some of the financial pressures they face.
How the Service Works
Referrals are received from a wide range of services and professionals, including:
- Family Help Teams
- Housing Services
- Midwives
- Health Visitors
- Social Workers
- Citizens Advice
- Schools and Early Years Settings
- Community and voluntary sector organisations
These referrals often identify families who are experiencing financial difficulties, moving into new accommodation, fleeing domestic abuse, managing unexpected life events, or struggling to afford essential household items.
Through The Brick Multibank, the Family Hubs can access a wide range of household essentials, including:
- Bedding and towels
- Kitchen utensils and cookware
- Cleaning products
- Toiletries
- Baby essentials
- Children's items
- Household goods and everyday necessities
This extensive selection enables hubs to tailor support to each family's individual circumstances and needs.
A Responsive and Reliable Partnership
One of the greatest strengths of the Multibank is the outstanding support provided by the team at The Brick in Wigan.
Whenever stock is required, the hubs can place an order and receive a delivery quickly and efficiently. This responsive service ensures that families receive support at the point of need, helping to prevent situations from escalating and reducing stress for parents and carers.
The fantastic team at The Brick consistently go above and beyond to support our Family Hubs, enabling us to respond rapidly to referrals and ensure essential household items reach those who need them most.
Supporting Families While Developing Volunteer Skills
The Multibank partnership has also created valuable opportunities for volunteering and personal development.
Dedicated volunteers support the coordination of Multibank resources across the hubs and have developed a wide range of skills through their involvement, including:
- Ordering and managing stock requests
- Building relationships with partner agencies
- Engaging directly with families
- Conducting stock audits
- Creating and maintaining inventories
- Organising storage and distribution processes
- Administration and record keeping
Our volunteers also play a key role in promoting the service throughout local communities. They actively raise awareness with families, schools, community groups and partner agencies through:
- Face-to-face conversations
- Emails
- Text messaging
- Community networking
- Weekly promotional flyers
The volunteers design and distribute weekly flyers showcasing available resources and reminding professionals and families about the support that can be accessed through the Family Hubs.
This role has helped them develop confidence, communication and organisational skills while making a meaningful contribution to local families.
Impact on Families Across Wigan
The practical assistance provided through The Brick Multibank has had a significant impact on the lives of local families.
For many, receiving essential household items means they can redirect limited finances towards food, utility bills and other necessities. The support helps families feel more settled, reduces stress and improves wellbeing during challenging times.
Whether providing bedding for a family moving into an empty property, toiletries for a family facing financial hardship, or household goods for parents establishing a safe environment for their children, the Multibank continues to make a tangible difference across the borough.
Feedback from Families
The feedback received from families highlights the value of this support:
"I honestly didn't know how I was going to afford everything we needed after moving into our new home. The items we received made such a huge difference. It made the house feel like a home for my children."
"The support came at exactly the right time. We were struggling to make ends meet and receiving household essentials took a huge weight off our shoulders."
"I felt listened to and supported. The practical help we received meant I could use my money on food and bills instead of worrying about buying basic household items."
"The quality of the items was amazing and receiving them made us feel valued and supported. We can't thank the Family Hub and The Brick enough."
"The bedding, toiletries and household items we received saved us hundreds of pounds at a time when we were really struggling. We felt supported and cared for."
"Without this support we would have had to go without some of the essentials we needed for our children. The process was simple and everyone was so kind and understanding."
Conclusion
The partnership between The Brick Multibank and the three Family Hubs in Atherton, Leigh and Wigan Centre are helping to ensure that families across Wigan can access essential household resources when they need them most.
By working collaboratively with referral partners and community organisations, the hubs are able to provide timely and practical support that improves family wellbeing, reduces financial pressure and helps create safe, comfortable home environments for children.
The service not only transforms the lives of families but also creates opportunities for volunteers to gain valuable skills, confidence and experience while contributing positively to their local community.
We are incredibly grateful to the team at The Brick in Wigan for their continued support, regular deliveries and commitment to helping local families. Together, we are making a real and lasting difference to the lives of families across the whole of Wigan Borough.