Praise for Fleetwood's Marine Hall over food hub role

Shaun MacNeill, one of the organisers of the Fleetwood Together project which provided food and emergency parcels for Fleetwood and other Wyre residents in need, says the whole enterprise would have been much tougher without the help provided.

He was speaking as Wyre Council announced that preparations are now being made for both its Wyre theatres, the Marine hall and Thornton Little Theatre, to gradually return to normal use.

Mr MacNeill, secretary of the West View Community Association, said: "We can't overstate our thanks to Wyre Council for offering us the facilities and the help of its staff for those five months.

"It was a Godsend really, because when we applied for various grants to help us, one of the main conditions was that the money must be used only for food and essentials, not for the hire of any buildings.

"Wyre allowed us to use the Marine Hall for free and, because it was so spacious, we were able to bring in a lot of people and boxes while being able to social distance - and it was safe and secure."

The Fleetwood Together project itself involved numerous organisations, including financial support from Fleetwood Town Council, and is currently using St Edmund's Church in the town as its main base.

A Wyre Council spokesman said: "We are very proud to have been able to transform our Fleetwood Theatre, which became the central food distribution centre for Wyre, working in partnership with the Fleetwood Together Food Bank."

"Between April and mid-August around 19,324 people were provided with food parcels, delivered from Marine Hall to households across Wyre.

"We are grateful to our staff, all the volunteers, drivers, food suppliers and community groups who helped make this happen."

Since the food hub moved out, Wyre's staff have been busy deep cleaning the building and getting ready for safeky reopening to the public.

The Marine Gardens will used for some outdoor events this Saturday (September 4) as part of the Fylde Folk and Blues Festival and after that plans are being made for forthcoming events in the time ahead.

People are being advised to look out for updates on the Marine Hall's website and social media pages, in case any events planned for later this year may be subject to change.

Lynne Bowen portfolio holder for leisure, health and community engagement at Wyre Council says “We are looking forward to welcoming customers back to our theatre venues soon. Marine Hall has proved itself as a tremendous community asset over the last few months and the theatre has many loyal customers who we know will support it during these difficult times.”