A hostel for homeless men in Greater Manchester has been saved from closure thanks to a company sales boss and his 70-year-old pal.
And it’s safe to say that Damian Ditchfield and Ken Jackson are now the toast of the Manchester charity Supporting People In Need (SPIN) after their hard work and the labour of love that went towards saving the organisation’s base.
SPIN is based at the converted Coverdale Baptist Church in Ardwick, which is known as ‘The Well’.
The charity provided dormitory accommodation for rough sleepers since opening its doors in 2014, and in addition to shelter and food, it also provides training and support to help its residents rebuild their lives, but when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit, SPIN was told by Manchester City Council officials that each resident had to have their own living space due to the need for social distancing.
Tom Herstell – Operations Manager at SPIN, whose father and uncle founded the charity – said the organisation was told that council funding would cease unless it could comply.
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That would thus have forced the closure of the hostel.
But that’s when Damian, 53 – a sales manager at Stockport-based bus and coach hire company Belle Vue Manchester – stepped in with Ken – a retired building site manager and qualified joiner who lives in Carrbrook, Stalybridge – to lend a much needed hand.
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Supporting People In Need (SPIN)Supporting People In Need (SPIN)
The kind-hearted duo voluntarily set about converting the open space in the church hall into 19 separate timber-framed bedrooms, enabling SPIN to survive.
Ken also called on building trade contacts who gave materials free of charge for the seven-week project, and Damian, who was on furlough leave from his job, made a 50-mile round trip to The Well every day from his home in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire.
Speaking about how he got involved with the project, Damian said: “Ken is good friends with Diane Lawler, who was working at The Well as a manager, and he had done a couple of jobs for her in the past [and] it was following a conversation between them that the mission was launched.
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“When Ken heard about the charity’s plight, he didn’t want to ignore it.
“His previous experience meant he had the expertise to do the work and I offered my support so he was assured of meeting the deadline set by the council. We did all the joinery and plastering and were grateful to Irmass Co timber merchants in Trafford Park and P&L Joinery in Stockport for supplying materials at no cost.
“Without their generosity, the project would have been unaffordable for SPIN.
Supporting People In Need
“A qualified electrician took care of the electrics, and we did everything else.
“As well as the new bedrooms, we also built a new food storage area and offices with a mezzanine floor which is used as a training area.”
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Damian – who is also a part-time DJ and during lockdown has raised hundreds of pounds for food poverty relief charity FareShare UK by streaming gigs on Facebook, which have been enjoyed by families and housemates across the UK, in Europe and as far away as Australia, in return for donations to the charity – said “it was an absolute pleasure to be involved” in the SPIN project.
He continued: “It was good for my soul. We spend our lives taking, and it was great to give back to society. The people at SPIN really appreciated it. Ken is one of my closest friends and he’s got such a big heart and generous approach to life.
“He’ll help out with anything and I was only too pleased to work with him for a good cause.”
Tom Herstell added: “We had 12 to a dormitory before COVID-19 struck and were told we would not receive any further funding from the council if we couldn’t offer single bedrooms. We weren’t expecting to be able to do the work [which is why] Damian and Ken have truly saved the charity and we really appreciate their efforts.
“It was a fantastic gesture by them and we are grateful to everyone who donated materials.”
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Supporting People In Need (SPIN) is now accepting donations for Christmas of items including men’s clothes, tinned food and toiletries.
You can find more information via the SPIN website here.
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Salford City manager delivers X-rated, fiery and inspiring speech in new behind-the-scenes series
Danny Jones
Salford City FC manager Karl Robinson delivered an extremely passionate and X-rated dressing room speech to his players in a recent clip taken from the club’s new behind-the-scenes series.
The Salford City boss has divided opinion among the supporters during his time in charge at the Peninsula Stadium, but it’s fair to say this no-holds-barred clip will have at least won over a few.
Robinson has been the head coach of The Ammies since January 2024 and missed out on playoff places by just a single point last term, but the Greater Manchester side has made a strong start to the new League Two campaign.
Claiming 16 points from their first eight fixtures, with only Swindon Town and Gillingham having notched more thus far, it seems a fire has been lit under his squad. It would certainly seem to be the case – at least judging by this new footage, anyway…
Looks really good so far lads absolutely love this
What you see above is a snippet from just the second episode of SCFC’s new ‘This Is Salford’ online show, which debuted this season and lifts the lid on City, Robinson, co-owner Gary Neville (who has helped produce the digital series) and more.
Although it’s not quite on the scale of the famous Class of ’92: Out of Their League programme and Full Time spin-off special aired on television over the past decade, the recurring YouTube documentary will chronicle matchdays and much more.
The club have also explained that the digital-only show will also be split into two sub-sections; one is the kind of matchday coverage already shared, with the promise that it will always be released within “36 hours of the final whistle”.
Secondly, there will be This Is Salford: ‘Our Story‘ episodes, which they describe as sharing “a deeper level of storytelling, following players, coaches and club staff on everything from transfers to causes they’re passionate about.” Think Welcome to Wrexham, perhaps.
It just so happens the latest instalment caught the 45-year-old’s fuming rant following comments made by a player on the way back into the dugout.
While some fans have responded by commenting, “I’m pretty sure they didn’t want this kind of changing room” – citing past straight-talking managers who went on to be dismissed – the reception has been largely positive, with another replying: “I love the way Robbo commands the dressing room.”
Speaking via club media this week, Neville teased the series as going further in the amount they intend to reveal compared to the likes of Manchester City’s All Or Nothing or Together: Treble Winners docuseries, for instance.
Admittedly, not everyone has been convinced by the reaction from Robinson captured during their away trip to Notts County back on 9 August, going on to win the game 2-1.
One person accused him of ‘blagging’ and possibly playing up his anger towards the camera, while others have already seen it as evidence backing up why they have performed well thus far. Either way, they were victorious on the night and are currently third in the table.
Neville reiterated that “We need to get this out there as it happens. It needs to be in real time. It’s their Salford, it’s the fans’ Salford, and we want to show it.”
You can watch the episode in full and see what exactly sparked the fiery speech by Karl Robinson on the Salford City YouTube channel down below.
Featured Images — Salford City FC (screenshots via YouTube)
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Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
Emily Sergeant -
1st December 2020 
