On the corner of Chapel Street, the Angel Centre sits away from some of the busiest traffic in Salford city centre.

During a dark Wednesday evening in October, a warm glow is coming from the windows of the building, as volunteers begin filtering inside to set tables and fire up the ovens for another night at FoodCycle.

Every Wednesday, a freshly cooked three course meal is served up in the building at St Philip’s Place at 6.30pm, free of charge, with the doors open to all.

The main purpose of the gathering is to help people make friends and combat food waste. But many of those who attend are living alone and find themselves at the sharp end of poverty – with the meetings and meals at the Angel Centre quickly becoming a crucial lifeline.

And it means Salford FoodCycle is the place where a growing number of people are heading each week to temporarily escape.

‘I have one meal a day and don’t turn the heating on’

Behind a counter in the back of the room, a group of cooks are hard at work preparing the evening meal, which is always meat and fish-free. Tonight, sweet potato and carrot soup is being served up for starters, followed by a mushroom and vegan mince pasta, and brownies and custard for dessert.

Closer to the entrance door, three women are sitting together at a table with space for four. Julie Hudson, 64, is one of those.

She is a regular at Salford FoodCycle and has been going for the past two years, and sits along with her friends, Julie Jesson, 66, and Margaret Branton, 64.

The three women pick the same table by the door every week, which they say is a good place to observe the rest of the room, and they are often the first to spot any newcomers, who they say are always made to feel welcome.

But behind the smiles, they say most people in the room are facing major struggles – and things are getting harder each year.

“I think everyone’s struggling now in different ways,” says Ms Hudson, who lives near Buile Hill Park in Salford.

“It’s so different for everyone, people go to work and are still struggling. We see more people bringing their children here now, the cost of living has gone up so much.

“It’s getting worse. It used to just be energy bills, but a lot of young people can’t eat now. These places are a lifeline. People come for a meal, but they might not be having another in the day.”

She adds: “I’m surviving but I don’t know how long for. I don’t have my heating on at home, I sit with my blanket or stay in bed. I have one meal a day rather than three.

“We are angry about it, we’re supposed to be one of the richest countries. Pensioners need more help, but these young families do too.”

Her friend Julie Jesson is retired, and comes to FoodCycle in Salford mainly for the social benefits.

But she agrees that many of the guests are struggling, and says mental health is a common problem which many people in Salford are dealing with.

She said: “We come here to be social more than anything, a lot of people who come suffer mental health problems, I do myself. This gets me out of the house even when I don’t want to, and the food is great.”

Ms Jesson adds that she feels she is managing okay this winter, but explains that she is just over the threshold to be eligible to claim pension credit, and therefore winter fuel payments.

“I’ve missed out on pension credit by three pounds, it would make a big difference,” she adds. “I’m doing okay, but I’ve worked hard in life and then they take help off you.”

The growing cost of living is another problem which many people are struggling to manage.

A 34-year-old mother of four, who wanted to speak anonymously, said she started coming to FoodCycle over the past few months to reduce the cost of her weekly food shop, which she says is climbing all the time.

“This month my fridge has been less full because of the energy prices, so I have to come here,” she says.

“I used to be able to spend £30 and have a full cupboard, but now money doesn’t go very far, it’s really depressing.

“I’m constantly balancing feeding the children and keeping the house warm, it’s really difficult. But I see many families struggling even worse than me.”

While the guests wait for their meal, the room lights up with chatter, with a group of men congregating on the chairs and tables in the middle of the room.

They joke around and seem to know each other well. “This table is our 10 Downing Street, it’s our cabinet room where we put the world to rights,” one man quips, pointing to the two tables pushed together with chairs lined up along both sides.

‘We see the impact of what happens in the world’

Food arrives at the Angel Centre each week from Bread Butter and Thing – an organisation working to make good food affordable – and the FoodCycle volunteers get to work deciding what to cook.

“We put it all on a big plate and decide,” says Ashliegh Lovett, one of the lead volunteers.

The 34-year-old from Telford moved to Greater Manchester from London two years ago, and got involved in FoodCycle in February 2023.

“We’re fighting to stop wasting food and help people who are feeling lonely, they can stay and chat with people they might not be able to meet normally,” she explains.

As the time gets closer to 6.30pm, the room begins to fill up. A mix of parents, children, pensioners, and people facing homelessness walk in, saying hello to the people that have become their friends.

For some in the room, this meal will be their only one in the day.

During her time as a volunteer, the number of people attending has increased, from around 35 weekly attendees to 45, Ms Lovett says, saying how the decisions made by political leaders around the country often cause huge changes to the lives of people coming to FoodCycle in Salford.

“We see the impact of what happens in the world,” she said. “We have families coming who rely on us to keep their meals going.

“We have a lot of people coming who are struggling to make ends meet, we get people coming who are homeless.

“It feels great to be able to help and see them all together. Some people come every week without fail, it’s a big family, people have got to know each other and become good friends.”

Over the past two years which FoodCycle has been running at the venue, the volunteers have served more than 1,250 meals. The organisation, which runs a total of 97 community meal projects around England and Wales, says that almost half of those who come eat most meals alone, and many report feelings of loneliness. A survey from December 2023 found that 89 percent of their guests said they are worried their financial situation will get worse by the end of the year.

The last few winters have been hard for many people around the country, as the cost of living crisis has continued to bite, as well as problems with a lack of affordable accommodation in many cities.

And this year, cuts to winter fuel allowance payments could make things even worse for some of the most vulnerable people in Salford.

Some of the guests at FoodCycle are pensioners who come to avoid loneliness, as well as having somewhere to stay warm for a couple of hours.

“It really makes me sad that people here are struggling so much, people are choosing between food and heating their homes,” Ms Lovett adds.

“We get people who come here because it’s a warm space. A few of our guests have no home and they will sit and watch the world go by, they’re not always coming here for the food.”

Too many families are struggling in Salford and across the country, government says

Just a few miles up the road, some of the worst deprivation in the city can be found in places such as Ordsall, Broughton, and Pendleton and Charlestown.

Data from Resolve Poverty and the Office for National Statistics has found that the areas have high numbers of households suffering multiple aspects of deprivation, suffering inequalities in employment, education, health, and living in overcrowded conditions.

And Salford City Council says thousands of people are approaching them for support with the cost of living.

In the last round of cash the council got from the Household Support Fund, around 5,500 people made applications for help – with the town hall also funding food vouchers for more than 15,000 children during the school holidays.

Coun Tracy Kelly, the council’s lead member for housing and anti-poverty, said tackling deprivation is a top priority in the town hall.

She added: “Residents who may be facing challenges to heat their homes or buy food are able to apply for support through the Household Support Fund, for which we received £2.7 million from the government.

“The funding is available to all Salford residents, whether they are in receipt of benefits or not, and will provide much needed help to the most vulnerable in our communities.

“We are also encouraging our residents of a pensionable age to check their eligibility for pension credit to help them with their bills as winter approaches.

“More information is available on a range of support and how to apply via our website, via www.salford.gov.uk/pensioncredits.”

The Labour government told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it is developing plans to address poverty around the country.

A spokesperson said: “Too many families are struggling in Salford and across the country – that’s why we have taken immediate action to extend the Household Support Fund to prevent a cliff edge of support for the most vulnerable, including pensioners, this winter.

“At the same time, we are developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty while we tackle inequality and make work pay.”

FoodCycle is looking for more volunteers at its community meal projects across Greater Manchester. More information can be found via the following link: https://volunteer.foodcycle.org.uk/northwest