A COMMUNITY charity which has become a lifeline for the town in which it is based has expanded services thanks to a cash injection from the Big Lottery Fund.

Shildon Alive, a St John’s Church project, first opened a community hub in March 2014 and five years on runs a food bank, credit union and a learning space as well as a surplus food shop open to everyone.

The new hub is four times as big as the previous one and will enable the charity to offer services more often, reaching even more people in Shildon.

Shildon Alive founder Revd Canon David Tomlinson said: “The larger premises will allow us to respond better to demand.

“This is exemplified by the credit union now running daily instead of twice weekly, and more excitingly the expansions of the food for all program to include a healthy take away for children and young people, intergenerational cooking and learning together, and a community supermarket with low priced staples not otherwise available in a town that has no supermarkets.”

Projects co-ordinator Paula Nelson said: “As a Christian group, Shildon Alive believes passionately in taking care of the world around us so every week we collect surplus food from local supermarkets, encouraging local people to make use of it and working together to minimise this problem in their area.”

The new community hub, now at 91 to 95 Church Street, was officially opened by the Bishop of Jarrow, Rt Revd Sarah Clark.

She said: “We are called to shine the light of our faith in our everyday lives and for the people of St John’s this means caring for our community in a way that ensures no one need be hungry, or lonely, or broken by financial crisis or family heartache.

“Shildon Alive is the lamp through which the church shines its light into the community of Shildon.”

Shildon Alive is open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am till 4.30pm, closed from 12.30pm till 1.30pm for lunch.

Visit shildonalive.org.uk or call 01388-417600.