Prescot Community Church
Who we are and what we do?
Prescot Community Church provides a range of community-focused activities and services designed to bring local residents together, reduce isolation and provide practical support to those who need it.
Through its community café and luncheon club, the church offers affordable meals in a welcoming environment, creating opportunities for people to connect, build friendships and access support within their local community.
The services are particularly valuable for older residents who may experience loneliness or social isolation, while the café also provides an accessible and affordable option for local families.
By creating opportunities for people of different ages and backgrounds to come together, Prescot Community Church is helping strengthen community connections and improve local wellbeing.
How has the grant helped?
Funding from the Oliver Lymes Charity has helped Prescot Community Church establish and develop its community café and luncheon club, providing the resources needed to get these services up and running.
A significant part of the £16,000 grant has supported the employment of a part-time chef, who was recruited shortly before the café opened and ahead of the luncheon club launching. This has been instrumental in establishing both services and ensuring they can provide affordable meals to local residents.
The funding has also contributed towards the running costs of the community café and luncheon club, helping the organisation provide meals at prices that are accessible to the local community.
To date, £4,496.21 has been spent on the chef's salary, with a further £1,540.27 supporting the luncheon club and community café.
The grant has helped the church turn its plans into practical community provision, creating welcoming spaces where residents can enjoy affordable meals, meet others and develop stronger social connections.
Updates
Since opening, both the community café and luncheon club have made positive progress, with encouraging engagement from local residents.
One particularly successful initiative took place during the summer holidays, when the church offered free packed lunches to families across the community with children. This helped provide additional support to local families while introducing the organisation to many new people and creating valuable connections within the community.
The café's affordable meal prices have also proved extremely popular with local residents, helping establish it as an accessible community resource.
Meanwhile, the luncheon club is beginning to attract more attendees as the church focuses on supporting older residents who may be experiencing isolation, providing opportunities to build friendships and develop meaningful relationships.
Although the café initially experienced some quieter periods, partly because some residents were still unaware that it had opened, the organisation is planning a community-wide leaflet drop across the local estate and much of Whiston to raise awareness and encourage more people to use the service.
With both projects now established and continuing to develop, the church is working towards making the café self-sufficient so that it can sustain the part-time chef position and continue providing affordable meals and social opportunities for the community.
The funding from the Oliver Lymes Charity has played an important role in getting these services off the ground, helping Prescot Community Church create new opportunities for local people to come together, access affordable food and build stronger community connections.