Our Sale West welcomed Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on Thursday 5 June,  as part of the ‘Driving Change: The BIG GM Live Well Bus Tour’, highlighting the role of local community organisations like ours in shaping a happier, healthier and fairer future.

Travelling on a specially commissioned Bee Network bus alongside senior health and community leaders and national policymakers, the Mayor saw first-hand the work we do at Our Sale West, including FoodShare, which distributes surplus supermarket food.

Diane, a resident, shared her experiences:

“I come here for FoodShare. The smallest thing can make a big difference to someone’s life. Just by listening. Just by being there,” she said. “It’s really important. It’s something I look forward to every Friday. It’s like a little goal that I get up and go out. It’s the only day I go out in the week.”

The Mayor praised the community-powered approach he witnessed at Sale West. “Community-powered spaces like those we visited today are redefining how we put meaningful, everyday support back at the heart of every neighbourhood. They’re showing what’s possible when communities are empowered to lead. These are welcoming spaces that are delivering that help and support with, not simply at, local people. This is our vision for GM Live Well.”

The visit highlights Our Sale West’s role as an example of community-led change, as Greater Manchester invests £10 million in Live Well centres, spaces and support offers to tackle health, social and economic inequalities.

Joining Andy Burnham on the bus tour was Dame Sarah Storey, Paralympic hero and Greater Manchester active travel commissioner. She visited our bike library to find out more.

Rachel Rowney, CEO of Local Trust, which supports the Big Local programme, said:

“Sale West and Little Hulton Big Locals are great examples of the impact communities can have when given the tools to make the changes they want to see in their neighbourhoods. We know that long-term, flexible funding which places trust in residents to make decisions on resources results in healthier and happier neighbourhoods.”

The tour comes at a crucial time, as research shows 84% of UK residents feel they have ‘no or not much’ say over important decisions affecting their areas. At Our Sale West, we are demonstrating a different approach, where community organisations run by local residents are empowered to create real change.