30 April 2025
"We were thrilled to be recognised as a community group of the year. It's not about the Our Staffordshire News Awards, but it does help the volunteers to realise that the work they are doing is having an impact – people are recognising the good work that goes on."
Glenn Parkes, Church and Community Team Leader at Temple Street Methodist Church & Community Centre.What began as a small café in the Chester and Stoke-on-Trent Methodist District charging minimal fees for tea and coffee has evolved into a comprehensive support hub operating primarily on Thursday mornings. The turning point came in 2012 when they joined forces with Stoke-on-Trent Food Bank.
"We chose to come on a Thursday morning for the food bank because we were already doing a café," Glenn explains. "We said, let's stop charging and making £7 a week. Let's give away free tea, free coffee and free toast."
As the food bank operation grew, so did Temple Street's understanding of community needs. They began attracting rough sleepers, which prompted them to run a night shelter for several years until COVID forced its closure.
However, the pandemic didn't stop their core services. "We kept the food bank open during COVID. We had to close everything else down, and then it was a question of picking things back up again," Glenn recalls.
Post-pandemic, they partnered with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to become a designated community lounge, hosting advisors from various organisations. Today, visitors can access debt and benefit advisors, mental health support, Citizens Advice representatives, carers' services and even participate in medical research projects.
"Since 2017, we have welcomed 18 new individuals into our community. While this number may not seem impressive at first glance, it is significant given our small starting point. This increase reflects our efforts within the community and people are taking notice of the work we are doing," adds Glenn.
The church has become known among rough sleepers as a place of compassion, with Glenn and his wife and family often providing sandwiches, drinks and even clothing from their home next door. One particularly successful campaign was cheekily titled Life is pants without pants, focusing on collecting underwear for homeless individuals.
"We were inundated with underwear. The congregation here are absolutely amazing because they are quite open. They're very liberated, and they went along with it wonderfully well."
Glenn ParkesWith approximately 40 volunteers supporting their various initiatives and plans to hire a dedicated worker to reach those living on the margins, Temple Street Methodist Church continues to demonstrate how community service and Christian mission can work hand-in-hand to address practical needs while offering spiritual hope.