Getting connected and crafty at Great Lever Connected

A Warm Welcome awaits everyone at Great Lever Connected at Slaterfield Community Centre in Bolton. It’s a great place to connect and relax with a cuppa and a chat.They offer a huge range of activities, from knitting, painting, gardening, darts, dancing, or help with getting online. It’s a much-loved community Warm Welcome Space. As one guest says, “I’d rather be here than at home.”

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Great Lever Connected is a volunteer-led, constituted community group with the aim to bring together all people to create a happy, cohesive community. Great Lever Connected has a growing gardening community, and has created an outside space that is just perfect for growing a tight-knit community that is dedicated to the beauty and wonders of nature. They say, “Come and join us on this thrilling journey of cultivating a thriving ecosystem, where the community sparkles with creativity and dedication!”

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There really is something for everyone at Great Lever Connected, with over 16 different kinds of groups and activities on offer throughout the week. It’s a truly intergenerational space, bringing people together of all ages and walks of life.

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One of the regular guests said her GP recommended going to Great Lever Connected following a health appointment about her mental wellbeing. She has now been coming along for over 18 months and says it has given her a new sense of confidence. She enjoys the knitting group and chatting with other guests whilst creating something. And the knitting group is doing amazing things with their craft. The group has knitted over 100 hats for babies at Bolton’s neonatal unit and also donates any money they make from their crafts to the local hospice. It’s a gift that keeps on giving! Along with knitting, the group says they love the opportunity for ‘chitchat’ and being in each other's company.

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The Warm Welcome team visited Great Lever Connected at Halloween. Over 100 people joined in the Halloween festivities, including a barbecue, apple picking and cider making workshop, grape picking and wine making workshop, helping with harvesting, plus workshops on beekeeping and willow wicker fencing.

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And there’s always something to do in their rich allotment that’s been running for over seven years. Produce grown there is used to create delicious soups and meals for guests at the community centre or shared with a local food bank. Great Lever Connected really is at the heart of their community in Bolton.

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Great Lever Connected is one of 1230 community centres that have joined the Warm Welcome Camapign, and they are celebrating Warm Welcome Week with a special community event on 25 January.

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