As for the PM’s pledge to end rough sleeping, we know that even after many external and economic shocks, there are still fewer people on the streets now than when Andy Burnham first became Mayor.

"We can all support the basic human justice of wanting to end rough sleeping. By drawing a clear line in the sand, the Prime Minister has declared that homelessness is not acceptable in our country".

- Jo Walby, Mustard Tree CEO.

We don’t know how bad it would have been without Andy Burnham as Mayor. Homelessness is complex and links to a failing state – issues with access to mental health services, social services and lack of financial opportunities.

Above: Jo discusses Andy Burnham’s ambition on Nicky Campbell 5Live phone-in

Andy Burnham could only go so far without changing national policy. Government sets areas like house building, local housing allowance rates, benefits, immigration, national skills and education. These are all things that can either worsen or improve homelessness.

What are we asking for?

Andy Burnham’s move to Number 10 has left a big gap in Greater Manchester. In the lead-up to the GM Mayoral Election on the 30th July, we put together our own ‘mini-manifesto’ - with what we would like to see from mayors, councillors and politicians across the region - to best support our clients.

We believe that everybody needs a home, everybody needs opportunities to earn an income, and everybody will face trouble at some point in our lives. Our charity has spent 30 years working alongside partners across Greater Manchester to combat poverty and prevent homelessness.

While solving this crisis of rough sleeping, homelessness and poverty remains a deep and complex challenge. With Andy Burnham at the helm, we have an unprecedented, generation-defining opportunity to truly achieve it together.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

A message from Jo Walby (Mustard Tree CEO)

“At Mustard Tree, we believe in loving your neighbour as yourself. We believe in dignity, rebuilding confidence and fighting social inequality from the ground up. And we simply cannot do that without you - you are the lifeblood of this movement.

When people walk through our doors at our Manchester or Salford hubs - they usually comment on the atmosphere first - but what they are actually feeling is your warmth. They are feeling the love and dignity that each and every one of you brings into this building.

Whether you have been with us 8 years or you’ve just started your first shift - your time is the most valuable gift you could give us. In a world that can often feel incredibly hard and cynical, you choose to show up, choose kindness and choose to stand in solidarity with people who need us.

So, I don’t just want to say “thank you” for the huge number of hours you give us. I want to thank you for the culture you create here. Thank you for the laughter, for the resilience - and for never giving up on our vision of a fairer Greater Manchester. You don’t just volunteer at Mustard Tree - you are Mustard Tree - thank you.

‘Friend of’ Mustard Tree Zoë also posted about her reflections of volunteering with Mustard Tree earlier this week:

“Through both moments of joy and sadness, one of the things I have valued most about volunteering has been the opportunity to connect with people. Whether through a small act of kindness or a simple conversation, I hope that I have helped make someone’s day just that little bit lighter.

Most of all, I am proud to volunteer alongside dedicated staff and fellow volunteers who help provide such a vital lifeline for so many people”. - Zoë.

Thank you so much to the people who truly keep the wheels turning at Mustard Tree!

In other news…

New opening times from June

If you visited before Covid, you’ll remember that our Ancoats hub was open 10am - 4pm most days - closing early on a Thursday. We are finally able to revert back to these extended opening times (with our refurbished Coffee Shop open for breakfast from 9am) - summed up in the handy video below:

A big thanks to all our staff, volunteers, trainees, customers and supporters who have enabled us to make this change.

Salford at 100

Last month marked 100 years since Salford was granted city status! As part of the Centenary celebrations, we were delighted to be visited by the Salford CVS team and local Councillors at our Eccles and Little Hulton hubs.

Wishing a big Happy Birthday to our communities in Salford, and here’s to the next 100 years!

We Care Ministry

On the same day we reopened our refurbished Coffee Shop, we received a spirit-lifting visit from members of MFM Church and We Care Ministry - who dropped off a huge food donation for our Food Club - all to celebrate Mummy Pastor’s 60th birthday!

What a beautiful way to celebrate, and thank you to our former Freedom Project trainees who helped organise - we are so lucky to have you as part of our community.

Hire our Spaces

Many of our areas double as meeting spaces for local businesses, with Charities and Community Group Rates from £15 per hour.

Find out more about room hire options here, or email roomhire@mustardtree.org.uk.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

‘No fault’ evictions and why they won’t go quietly

2026 should be a more hopeful year for tenants - and our City Region is at the heart of much of the progress. The Manchester Evening News played a big part in pushing through ‘Awaab’s Law’, which is now in full effect and holding Social Housing Landlords to account on a national scale. Mustard Tree’s involvement in the Social Homes for Manchester Commission has helped the Council shape its 10-year housing strategy.

Change is afoot, and we expect to see positive results over the upcoming months - no less by the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act in May this year - which will see the end of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, banning bidding wars and eliminating “no kids” or “no DSS” policies.

In an ironic twist, this has also resulted in a recent increase of people coming into Mustard Tree for support with evictions - as landlords scramble to evict tenants before the Act comes into effect.

“Consider this your Section 21”

“A gentleman came to reception asking what a Section 21 was? I explained the legal process for evictions in the UK – describing the paperwork that was used. He said “oh, I don’t have that – I have this”, and showed me a WhatsApp message from his landlord saying ‘consider this your Section 21’. I explained to him his rights and that it wasn’t legally valid – there was a process his landlord must follow to evict him. He was reassured that he wasn’t in any trouble as of yet – but that he would need to start looking for a new place to stay soon. The people receiving this kind of treatment are the most vulnerable – people with a significant amount of barriers placed in front of them.”

- Alex, Mustard Tree Support & Reception Team Leader

The above not only highlights the anxiety which can be put on tenants at the drop of a hat - it also exposes the scale of tenancies operating outside of the legal guidance, many of which evade the incoming regulations. In another example where a client had missed a rent payment after having his Universal Credit sanctioned, he came home to find the landlord had screwed iron bars into the door and doorframe, with a padlock through them - and a note which read “you can move back in when you’ve paid your rent”.

In Vicky Spratt’s 2022 book ‘Tenants’, it is mentioned that ‘private tenants who complain to landlords about issues in their home have a 46 per cent chance of being evicted within six months. And that doesn’t account for renters living in the shadow, illegal private-rented sector of overcrowded HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupation), who wouldn’t even be issued an eviction notice’.

We hope that what we are seeing now is just the panic reaction, with members of the Manchester Homelessness Partnership Prevention Action Group reporting similar scenarios. We know that Greater Manchester is pioneering the positive changes we need to see, with Greater Manchester Housing Providers working with GMCA and Manchester City Council to try and improve the situation. The Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter pledges to ‘make renting better’ by supporting landlords to aim for higher standards than the minimum required by law.

As summarised in Tenants, ‘we might now have the right legislation, but is there anyone left to enforce it and help private renters defend themselves if they can’t pay for private solicitors?’ These cases highlight the importance of access to our face-to-face support - and we would not be able to operate a drop-in service without your help.

Lunar New Year

Amongst the washing machines, sofas and clothes rails of our Ancoats Community Shop, we once again marked Lunar New Year by welcoming the Fire Horse into our space.

For the third year running, a group including members of Mustard Tree’s art drop-ins and the Hong Kong Community Choir, worked in partnership with Groundwork Greater Manchester on the ‘Rag Revival’ project - developed to explore how textile waste could connect communities while raising awareness of climate-related challenges.

You can read more about the partnership here: Woven Together: Culture, Community and Climate.

Elevate Salford

Our work with Elevate Salford sees Mustard Tree and partners training and preparing people who are furthest from the job market, to gain skills and employment.

People like Julian* (below), who despite holding a CSCS General Labourer’s card, struggled with his confidence and had no network or access to employment opportunities.

Julian proved to be an adaptive learner, eager to improve his knowledge, build new skills and gain experience. His drive and willingness to learn allowed us to find him a placement with our partners in the construction industry – O’Neill & Brennan.

Having added his placement experience to his CV - Julian is now actively looking into career opportunities in the construction industry - where he would like to fulfil his ambition of becoming a joiner.

World Book Day

Thanks to One Minute Briefs who whipped up the idea for this one a while ago - to help promote the fact that we gift almost half of our furniture to people in crisis. We thought World Book Day would be the best time to share it…

As always - if you would like to donate your pre-loved white goods, furniture and electricals, please visit our donate page to see if we can arrange a free collection.

Quick hits

• Looking for an affordable and accessible meeting room? Hire one of our spaces!

• Help us with Easter Egg donations in the room up to the school holidays

• We’re recruiting a Trusts and Grants Officer and a Freelance External MI Supervisor

• Special thank you to CIPR North West, who will be delivering an Interview Skills Workshop for our Freedom Project trainees later this month

• We’ve been named as official charity partner for the Greater Manchester Wellbeing Series!

*Julian’s name changed for anonymity.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Twelve months later, through the challenges and increased demand we have faced in 2025, it has been the hope which has shined through - and we intend to carry this message through to 2026.

Last month, the MEN came back and asked if we would like to be their chosen charity for their 2025 Christmas Appeal - or course, we were delighted to accept.

To support the campaign, the MEN launched a GoFundMe to raise some money for the charity - you can still donate to the fund here.

Jo’s words came soon after what was a ‘record-breaking’ month for the charity on many fronts. Almost 600 new registrations in a single month - and 13 people into paid employment.

Through our partnerships, we’re able to support more and more people into work. Partnerships like Blendsmiths, who recently came on-site to upskill our Freedom Project trainees in our Ancoats café.

“We believe business can be more than transactions. Investing in skills builds confidence, strengthens community, and helps create opportunities that last.”

- Blendsmiths

And in construction, partnerships with John Sisk & Son Ltd and O’Neill & Brennan means we can secure opportunities for our trainees - like Jordan - who is now thriving in his new role.

“Jordan is a real shining star for our team. He originally joined us through Mustard Tree on a work placement, successfully completed the programme, and has continued working with us on this project ever since.”
- O’Neill & Brennan

We’ve been very fortunate this year to be recognised by some sizeable institutions in Manchester, such as the MEN, I Love Manchester Awards and the Charter Institute for Public Relations North West.

We’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who chooses to support Mustard Tree this year - with donations of money, furniture, food, clothing, training and time. To continue this impact going into 2026, we need to keep up the momentum. If you think you can help us as we move into the new year, you have the opportunity to join our movement below.

Please Donate

Wishing you all the best for the New Year - from everyone at Mustard Tree! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Through this campaign, we want to unite Greater Manchester residents to support people who are facing hardship and crisis across our city region - to act without prejudice and acknowledge that everyone needs help at some point in their lives.

Follow our Show Me Hope campaign

We want to send a special thanks to Mike Garry and The Cassia String Quartet for giving us the words and the track to help communicate this message.

Calendar Update

The launch event for our 2026 Charity Calendar is less than a week away. Illustrated by Len Grant, designed by Simon Painter and printed by Hobs Repro, the calendar features twelve images from our Ancoats, Eccles and Little Hulton hubs, including scenes from our Community Shops, Food Clubs, training areas and creative clubs.

For each month, a short testimonial is included from one of the charity’s clients, staff or trainees. Free tickets for the event – which will also showcase pieces of artwork from Mustard Tree’s drop-in creative classes – can be booked here.

Join our team as a Driver Mentor

We’re currently looking for a Driver Mentor to join our warehouse team. The role includes, collecting furniture items from donors, delivering items to clients and customers - as well as providing on-the-job training to our Freedom Project trainees, helping develop work-ready skills.

For more information and to apply - please visit our Vacancies page!

Upcoming events

Tuesday 4th November: Mustard Tree host National Peer Network for homelessness social work

Thursday 6th November: Mustard Tree Calendar Launch

Friday 21st November: Mustard Tree speak at Decent Homes for all event

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who show us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, please consider helping Mustard Tree by donating money, furniture, food and clothing.

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Mustard Tree has partnered with local artist Len Grant and graphic designer Simon Painter, to produce a Mustard Tree charity calendar for 2026!

This calendar has been made possible through the generosity of Len and Simon, who have both given their time and creativity for free. The calendar has been produced by Hobs Repro, who committed to printing the calendar at cost – we want to say a huge thank you to you all!

The launch event

Register for a free ticket to our launch event on Thursday 6th November (5pm - 7pm) to be the first to get your hands on the calendar. Calendars will be available to buy during the event (limited stock), or you can guarantee yours by pre-ordering for collection through the links below:

Pre-order A3 wall calendar

Pre-order A5 desk calendar

Come to the event and meet the designers and get your calendar signed. We will also have our Community Shop and Café open throughout the event, so you can shop for some bargains and try our coffee and cakes!

Finally, we will be showcasing other artwork from our creative classes, such as our art and textiles drop-ins.

Click here to get your free ticket to our charity calendar launch event.

We hope to see you there and if you have any questions about the event or ordering your calendar, please email information@mustardtree.org.uk or call 0161 228 7331.

In other news

We have a new vacancy! We’re looking for a Fundraising Officer with a focus on individual giving to join our staff team. Sound like the opportunity for you? Find out more and apply here.

Hire our spaces

Mustard Tree has several rooms and spaces available to hire for your meeting, training or away day. With capacities from two to fifty people, we have spaces to suit most meetings, events or training sessions. Find out more and enquire here.

Special thanks to our team and business supporters, who have contributed their time, skills and expertise to help upgrade our spaces!

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

In our latest newsletter, former Freedom Project trainee Tom speaks about his time at Mustard Tree Eccles. From his diagnosis with Asperger’s Syndrome and difficulty finding work, to becoming empowered through his training and creating opportunities for himself - Tom’s story is truly inspiring and well worth a watch.

In Tom’s own words, he explains how Mustard Tree made him feel at ease, worked together to create a personal plan based on his goals - and how the weight on his shoulders was lifted once he walked through the door.

If you know someone who might benefit from Mustard Tree’s support, please check out our Get Help page, contact us at information@mustardtree.org.uk or call 0161 228 7331.

A Special Thank You

A Monday in July marked the very last volunteering session for Ian and Janet (below), who over the past several years have given countless hours supporting our Ancoats Job Club drop-ins.

Job Club runs every Monday and Friday from 10am - 12pm. Ian and Janet - amongst other volunteers and staff - have supported in areas such as creating CVs and cover letters, applying for jobs online and preparing for job interviews.

The selfless couple have been instrumental to the drop-in, showing an incredible commitment to our clients. We are forever grateful for all their support, and hope they now spend some well-deserved time with the family - thank you Ian and Janet!

Honouring our values, we’d like to thank the following partners for their support with this newsletter’s video:

• Mears Group for giving Tom the opportunity to thrive through the Mears Careers programme

• Brand Addition for offering Tom a work-placement during his time on the Freedom Project

• Keerthi (Kay’s Production) for use and set-up of the podcasting equipment

• Generator Start-Up Workspace for use of the space

Bank Holiday

A quick reminder that our hubs are closed on Bank Holiday Monday, but our Ancoats Community shop will be open as usual this Saturday between 10am - 2pm. Take a look at some of the items on offer below:

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

This means that for the next year, our charity will benefit from merchandise sales from the I Love MCR online shop, as well as various events.

The team even visited our Ancoats hub to speak to some of our staff, volunteers and clients to talk about our work - which you can watch at the top of the page.

Thank you I Love Manchester!

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

On the fringes of the development sits our Mustard Tree Eccles hub, and has been for over 10 years.

With a fresh focus on employability training, vocational partnerships and 1-2-1 support, the revitalised hub would like to welcome everyone from the local community and further afield.

On the reopening day, we asked some of our regulars what they thought of the refurbished space. Listen to the audio at the top of the page or below, where you can also find out a little more about what work has been done.

Last week, we welcomed Salford Now to write a piece about the refurbished hub, which you can read here. Local Eccles Councillors Mike McCusker and Nathaniel Tetteh also visited to meet our staff, trainees and volunteers. Cllr McCusker said “it was a great opportunity to meet the Mustard Tree team at its newly refurbished Eccles Hub who are helping to improve the economic wellbeing of people in Salford and find settled homes.”

You can read the full write-up via Salford City Council News.

“Once I’d been to Mustard Tree, I started speaking out. If I hadn’t made that move, I wouldn’t be here with Sisk”.

In one of our recent newsletters, we talked about Freedom Project trainee Hema
and how helping to improving economic wellbeing enabled her to take a step towards independence.

Hema has now started her permanent position with John Sisk & Son, as a site administrator - you can read the full story of her career restart here.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Watch the video in the header for more information, and click here to view all our current vacancies. Good luck!

Stepping up in Salford

Last week we were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett and his team to our Eccles hub, to meet some of our clients and trainees. Alongside Paul was Alison Page - CEO of Salford CVS - to talk about our future plans and partnership work across our Salford hubs.

The Mayor also visited our Little Hulton hub last year as part of the ‘Whose Art, Whose Culture’ exhibition - you can listen to his thoughts on the showcase here.

Quick Hits

• We’ve revamped our volunteering page. If you’re an individual or part of a team who wants to help Mustard Tree combat poverty - get involved!

• Our Food Club is very low on cereal - if you would like to donate some directly to our door, you can do so via our GiveToday page (and thank you to who sent us this generous order yesterday)

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Individuals, businesses, charities all mark IWD in different ways, and impactful organisations and groups across the world deliver an array of effective strategies, resources, and activities.

This week’s soundbite comes from last week’s Freedom Project graduation, with Assia and Adetutu sharing their experiences of training at Mustard Tree, as well as their plans for the future - take a listen at the top of the page.

Here’s some other examples of how Mustard Tree helps Accelerate Action.

Forging women's economic empowerment

Maximising individual income is one of our core services, and has allowed Hema to take a big step towards independence - having recently gained employment after graduating from Mustard Tree’s Freedom Project:

I came to Mustard Tree to discuss my willingness to get into work, but I was taking care of my family and didn’t know where to begin - being at home for so long made me feel so lonely.

I started coming to the art and textiles classes to meet new people - I found a community here and started to feel a change in myself.

I joined the Freedom Project with my focus back on gaining employment. I started training in the Community Shop to learn new skills. With constant encouragement and motivation, I eventually attended a work placement - then was offered a job!

- Hema, Freedom Project Trainee.

Hema has now started her new job with a local construction firm, and still attends the art drop-in to keep in contact with her community.

Addressing further areas supporting the advancement of women

Mustard Tree supported former nurse Bev through a crisis, helping to restore her confidence and self-esteem after falling on hard times - by offering training and financial support.

Bev - who now volunteers at Mustard Tree’s Community Shop - said it was “nice to give something back after they helped me out”.

You can read more about Bev’s story during the BBC’s visit last year, or look back at our previous newsletter.

Providing women and girls with access to quality education and training

As well as the Freedom Project training placement, Mustard Tree offers free and accessible courses and classes to help participants improve English speaking skills.

Through structured classes such as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and more informal English Conversation sessions - Mustard Tree is a safe and welcoming environment to learn - for both women and their children.

Promoting creative and artistic talent of women

Sometimes our biggest successes shine through our creative programmes. Drop-ins such as art, textiles and creative writing present an opportunity for women of all backgrounds to come together and express themselves in various ways.

Once in a while, we showcase artwork created in the drop-ins at our regular exhibitions - make sure to subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to find out about our next event.

Subscribe now

Supporting women into leadership and decision-making

None of this would be possible without a strong leadership team, led by our CEO , Head of Services Fiona and Head of Operations Lindsey.

From our front-line services to vocational classes, women make up a vital part of our fabric, help drive us forward and keep us working to our values of Belief, Partnership, Dignity, Opportunity and Diversity.

Sophia’s Summits

Just before the New Year, we received a surprise Instagram message from seven-year-old Sophia:

“Hi, I'm Sophia (7) and I'm helping to raise money for your charity. My dad took me to Manchester to see a pantomime. On the way back to the car I noticed the homeless on the streets and it made me really sad. I've decided to walk all the Wainwright fells in the Lake District and raise as much money as I can for you! I will really try my best. Love from Sophia.”

Sophia has summited 4 of 214 Wainwrights so far, and we are incredibly grateful for every step she has taken! You can follow Sophia’s progress at @sophia_wainwrights, and help her hit her £900 fundraising target by donating to her GoFundMe page here.

Thank you to Sophia, and to all the women and girls in our lives who make Mustard Tree a special place to visit, train, work and volunteer.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Last week we were featured on several BBC outlets including North West Tonight, Politics North West and BBC Radio Manchester - regarding our latest work in supporting people who have recently acquired refugee status and are now currently homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless.

In case you missed it, you can now watch the footage above, and read the full story below.

ARTICLE: BBC News Online

Kevin Fitzpatrick | via BBC News, Manchester

• Published 28 January 2025

Council and charity bosses in Manchester have told how they are struggling to cope with a rising number of refugees sleeping rough or in tents in the city's centre.

A council-funded support hub service said it had helped more than 1,000 people since March 2024, with nearly two-thirds having been evicted from asylum hotels elsewhere in the country.

The majority of them have fled wars in Africa, including Abdullah Zaeed, an English teacher who fled civil war in Sudan and went on to spend weeks living on the streets in Manchester.

Manchester City Council deputy leader Joanna Midgley said the problem needs "a national answer".

She said refugees were attracted to Manchester because it is a "friendly, global city" but many end up sleeping rough because they "don't have priority need" for social housing.

"Camping outside the town hall is not the answer to that, we want to try and get people to services where they can get the right help and support," she said.

Mr Zaeed, 31, spent two weeks sleeping rough after being evicted from his hotel in Fallowfield last year and has since found temporary accommodation.

He said: "Some people say the UK is not like the UK we expected because we came from terrible conditions and we end up in terrible conditions again."

Nearly two thirds of the refugees arriving in Manchester have received their refugee status elsewhere in the UK, according to homelessness charity Mustard Tree.

It supported more than 1,000 refugees between March and December last year, with about 328 from Eritrea and 290 from Sudan.

Many of the refugees have travelled to Manchester from Liverpool, Birmingham and Burnley, with others coming from other towns across the north of England.

Salah Benson, 20, who was also forced to leave Sudan due to the war, is due to leave his Manchester hotel soon after being given the right to remain.

He has been volunteering as he tries to get a job and said many refugees travel to the city in the belief it offers a better quality of life than other places.

"Some of them, after they get their refugee status from other cities, they move and come to Manchester because they think they'll have better opportunities and its cheaper," he said.

'National answer'

About 66% of asylum claims were granted for refugees arrived to the UK on small boats and were moved to hotels in the year ending September 2024.

Both Mustard Tree and the council told BBC Radio Manchester many refugees coming to Manchester would not receive social housing as they are young and single, and therefore would not be considered a priority for new homes.

They also said the refugees have arrived in a city where the homelessness support system is already overwhelmed.

"It's a national issue and we need a national answer to it," Ms Midgley said.

"Things like learning English, having access to training and there is a campaign also to let them have the right to work.

"That would all help because when the time comes that they get their decision to stay, they'll be more prepared to integrate and to participate in society."

Thank you to Kevin and the BBC for covering this story.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

In 2025 let’s turn away from fear and unfairness and embrace hope and kindness – that’s the Manchester way.

In a New Year message written for the Manchester Evening News, Mustard Tree CEO Jo Walby calls for an honest discussion about immigration and its challenges and opportunities – and calls for kindness and pragmatism in our approach to social and economic deprivation in 2025.

I felt lost in 2024 because the charity I work for focuses on fighting poverty and homelessness and we keep seeing record numbers each year.

We are not a social policy charity, we simply care about the economic wellbeing of every person who comes to us.

We are not a refugee charity, but in 2024 more people came to us who were seeking asylum or who are refugees than at any other time in our history.

And no one would talk about it. No one that is except those loud voices whose frustrations gave way to blame and anger.

In 2024 we have hired multilingual staff members. We have created additional English language classes. We have shared our data and we have asked for help. But apart from those dedicated charities and public servants whose job it is to work with migrants, no one wants to talk about it. There is no public discussion about migration without fear, anger and lecturing – and yet we can all see the changes in our region.

So, I want to share what I have seen in 2024.

Since Covid-19, the Government assessments to decide whether people who come into the country can stay or not significantly decreased. However, new people did not stop coming and so the numbers of people seeking asylum in the UK increased. Whilst seeking asylum, people cannot learn English or work by law – with very few exceptions.

“There is no public discussion about migration without fear, anger and lecturing”

Last winter, the Government restarted the assessments and decisions. We are now seeing the backlog of numbers of people who have been stuck here for years but only recently been assessed and approved to stay in the UK.

Once people are allowed to stay, they have 4 weeks (now 56 days in 2025) from a positive decision to learn English, get a job and a house. There is little education or information given about the realities of trying to find housing in Greater Manchester and so expectations are high that once people have their positive decision, they can start their lives.

Despite what some think, being a refugee does not give you priority for social housing. There is no advantage and no special treatment which is why people come into charities like ours.

Our charity is pragmatic, and we cope – but it is getting almost untenable to carry on without opening up about the challenges and opportunities we are seeing.

We want a more open and positive conversation around how we help people integrate into our communities. More support for English language training, more work placements and training for people who want it and more opportunities for everyone who needs help – regardless of where they come from.

We are Greater Manchester – we come from everywhere.

From Central Europe, Jewish migrants came, Irish migrants came during the Industrial Revolution and after. South Asians and Caribbean people came after World War II.

We have always been a magnet for people from other places and their success is our success. It’s part of what makes our region a special place to live.

We are Greater Manchester – we created the suffragettes – votes for women.

We wrote to the US President in the 1800’s, calling for a slavery ban and would not work with cotton picked by slaves. We created trains. We created great football and great music. We work hard and we play hard with amazing food and the best nights out in the UK.

We are Greater Manchester – we are the people that revolutionised industry from cotton to graphene.

Perhaps in 2025 we can begin to revolutionise migration and harness the benefits of being a magnet for others to improve ALL our lives.

We need more people to work, to pay taxes and to buy goods and services. We need carers, doctors, engineers, bricklayers, plumbers. When we have needed people after crises people came and helped us create the region we are today.

Surely the region, the country that makes a success of the international reality of migration – which affects every country in the Western world – will be the region and country that leads the world for the next hundred years?

What we need is not a technological revolution, not an AI revolution, but a people driven evolution that will benefit us all.

In 2025 let’s talk about immigration, the opportunities and the problems, let’s turn away from fear and mistrust and try to solve the problems in our society with love, humour and kindness.

That’s the way Manchester has always done it.

Sending love, hope and positivity to everyone in Greater Manchester for 2025.

Thank you if you support our charity – we could not do it without you.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

The first (above) is an audio clip from BBC Radio Manchester’s visit earlier this year, to speak to volunteers and trainees like Rob - who simply states - “where else would you go?”

“I used to deal drugs - a coffee machine changed my life”

You may remember Joe from the ‘Random Objects of Kindness’ exhibition with ‘Heard Storytelling’ last year. One year on, The Manchester Evening News caught up with Joe to talk about his time on the Freedom Project, employment via ‘Change Please’ - and how he is now helping others in our Community Café.

You can read the full article here.

2024 Wrapped

The video below highlights just some of our activity in 2024. We have had tragedies and lost people we care about this year – so we will celebrate them the only way we know how - through our values and kindness.

November Numbers

Our November numbers show the most new registrations in a single month, as well as the most support appoints we’ve ever carried out.

There’s not much more left to say apart from THANK YOU. As we always say - none of the above would be possible without your help, love and support. You make our charity what it is, and we have only the highest gratitude to you for that.

From everyone here at Mustard Tree - Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, have a great New Year and here’s to 2025, where new challenges and opportunities await.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

These words rang out from our Patron Sir Warren Smith - who we visited earlier this year to talk about why he chose to support Mustard Tree, and why it’s so important that we are ‘nailed to the ground’. Scroll down to watch the full video.

But first… October Impact

Striking numbers from October saw a record ‘11,210’ visits to our three hubs across Manchester and Salford:

Thank you for all your help - whether it’s donating money, food, furniture, clothing, volunteering or partnering with us.

Contact us to find out more, see some of our case studies and find out how you can help us cope with this huge demand and the reality of what is happening in our cities.

A Message from our Patron - Sir Warren Smith

Our ‘open door’ approach makes us ultimately accessible - and the resulting demand speaks for itself. At a time when over a quarter of charities that run shops are considering reducing their opening times due to National Insurance increases - your support gives us the best possible chance of providing the best service we can - for as long as we can. Thank you Sir Warren for speaking so passionately and compassionately about our work:

National Insurance increase for employers instantly added an unexpected £38,000 to our costs for next year. We need donations now - more than ever to cope with the increased demand and maintain what we do.

LISTEN: Radio 4 Today Programme with Nick Robinson

If you were up early enough last Tuesday, you may have heard our CEO Jo being interviewed on Nick Robinson’s Radio 4 programme about our New Welcome Hub. Scroll to the top of the page to listen to the full segment.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Today’s soundbite comes straight from our Little Hulton hub, during our first ‘Whose Art, Whose Culture’ exhibition. Hear from our workshop participants and Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett about the project.

The Whose Art, Whose Culture workshop 2 exhibition will take place at our Little Hulton hub on Wednesday 27th November between 10am - 2pm. No ticket needed - just drop in. Address: Mustard Tree, Little Hulton District Centre, M28 0AU.

Budget 2024

While there were some positive takeaways from the Government’s Budget around an extension to the Household Support Fund and changes to Universal Credit and Carers’ allowance, there were overall concerns for the charity sector around wages and National Insurance.

Our CEO Jo was featured in the ‘i’ newspaper the day before the budget, calling on the Chancellor to freeze the increase in NI contributions for charities:

“We have reduced our costs as much as we can this year to free up some cash so that we can add support workers to our team to help people out of poverty and homelessness. This increase in NI would wipe out those cost savings and means our existing staff and volunteers must do even more to try and cope with the increasing numbers through our doors, without the resources they need.”

- Jo Walby, Mustard Tree CEO

The National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) described the rising costs as a “triple squeeze” on charities, which already face increasing costs, reduced funding and higher demand.

You can read the full ‘i’ article online here.

Social Homes for Manchester

As part of our mission of combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, Mustard Tree is a member of the ‘Social Homes for Manchester’ coalition - a collective movement for housing justice in Manchester.

The following video explains more about the coalition, and how you can get involved.

Anyone can sign up to be part of the campaign. You will receive updates on the work of the campaign and information about how you can help us make progress. Sign up to the campaign mailing list.

Christmas Drive

Thanks to continued support by The Toy Appeal and our community partners, we’re expecting a bumper crop of Christmas toys this year. We are now directing our ask towards food, so we can keep our Food Clubs stocked with Christmas treats over the holidays:

A full list of items we’re in need of can be viewed at on our Christmas Drive page - donations can also be made online and sent directly to us via our GiveToday page.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Thanks for reading Mustard Tree's Round-Up! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

We are keen to recruit trustees who represent our communities and the people who participate in our services. To add to the expertise of our charity, we are particularly interested in speaking to people who have personal experience of homelessness, the immigration system and/ or who have knowledge of Muslim culture.

Interested? Full details can be viewed via our website, or access the information pack for job descriptions and how to apply.

Greater Manchester a ‘child poverty hotspot’ - here’s how you can help.

Recent data from the End Child Poverty Coalition has uncovered shocking details about the levels of inequality across our region, with 37% of all children across the North West now living in poverty.

For many of our clients, family essentials are becoming more unaffordable, and will only get worse as we move into Autumn and Winter. Today, Ofgem announced that energy bills are set to rise again in October.

Every penny counts at the moment, and we are doing everything we can to help take away the financial pressure for families getting ready for the new school term.

We’re working with Give Today to request Back to School items for our Community Shops, so we can provide low-cost stationary, backpacks and other items to families on low-income. Items can be purchased online from our Give Today page, which will be delivered straight to our door.

If you know any families who would benefit from a ‘Ready for School’ session - please ask them to get in touch! The next session will take place on Monday 2nd September and will cover areas such as speaking and listening, singing and actions and follow instructions.

Extended opening hours in Salford

In response to the need, we’ve extended our Salford opening times to 10am - 4pm, to better support local residents who access our services. Full times for our Eccles and Little Hulton hubs can be found below:

Mustard Tree Eccles and Little Hulton

Monday*: 10am - 4pm

Tuesday: 10am - 4pm

Wednesday: 10am - 4pm

Friday: 10am - 4pm

*Please note we are closed Bank Holiday Monday (26th August).

Whose Art, Whose Culture?

For the past 10 weeks we have been running a Salford arts project at our Little Hulton hub, bringing together participants from Walkden and the surrounding area to answer the question - “Whose Art, Whose Culture?”, part of a wider programme by Salford CVS.

The project is facilitated by Salford-born artist Chelsea Davies – who became Salford Precinct’s first ever Artist in Residence – and is well-known for her artistic work across the city, including projects with Briar Hill Court and Salford Shopping Centre.

On Wednesday 11th September between 11am - 3pm, we are giving you the opportunity to drop into the Little Hulton hub to view pieces created in the first set of sessions. The exhibition is free to enter and open to all.

Click here for more details, or email information@mustardtree.org.uk with any queries.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

The Deputy Prime Minister took time to meet some of our team, Freedom Project trainees, class participants and partners, and was given a tour of our Community Shop, café and other areas of the building by Mustard Tree’s Head of Operations Lindsey and Head of Services Fiona.

Joined by Leader of Manchester City Council Bev Craig, we discussed the demand we are seeing, our partnerships, key challenges and the real opportunities to combat poverty and prevent homelessness.

We’d like to thank the DPM for taking the time to come and see us - we loved having you and the whole team was inspired by your visit.

Tough Mudder 2024

A big shout out and huge THANK YOU to everyone who took on the notorious Tough Mudder at Heaton Park over the weekend - enduring 10km of running, 20 obstacles and a whole lot of mud, sweat and tears - all to raise money for Mustard Tree!

We are closing in on £10,000 in donations - you can help us hit the big 1-0 by visiting our Tough Mudder JustGiving page - thank you!

Eccles Giving Day

Every year our Eccles hub receives support from local Councillors and volunteers around Eccles Giving Day - by organising donations for our much-needed Food Club.

Thank you for your support and help to keep our shelves stocked! You can find out more about our Food Club and how to donate here.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.

Plus: If you have 15 minutes before the election tomorrow, have a LISTEN to our first podcast, where we outline the ‘Mustard Tree Manifesto’.

Our Manifesto

Communications Manager, Jack Barton and CEO, Jo Walby - share experiences and thoughts on what is next for Greater Manchester and why "we cannot accept business as usual - whoever is in power".

This is a call to action to address the causes of hardship - not only the consequences - through better planning, better policies and more accountability, regardless of which political party is in power. We hope you like it and please do contact us should you have any thoughts on the charity and what you would like to hear more about: information@mustardtree.org.uk.

Join our Movement

Thank you to all our supporters who give us hope each and every day. If you believe in our approach to combatting poverty and preventing homelessness, would you consider donating £5-a-month to help fund our training and support services?

Please Donate

To those who have already joined our movement for change by giving to us monthly - THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by sharing this newsletter with family, friends, colleagues and community members.