Michelle Naylor said: “Some days are just hard, just hard being a mum, being a parent.”
Michelle Naylor at the opening of Shine Together community hub’s social supermarket in Liscard today(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A mum said she didn’t realise how bad things were in the Merseyside town she grew up in until recently. Michelle Naylor, who once had only £2.20 to heat her home, hopes to change people’s lives by bringing a first to the area.
Community organisation Shine Together, based at 28 Fairview Avenue in Liscard, will be running a social supermarket on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10am and 2pm. It will be open to everyone, access won’t be means tested, and prices will be around half the usual price.
Shine Together has been open since May. Michelle previously told the ECHO how life used to be hard as a single mum with three boys with £2.20 in her electric meter.
On October 15, she said: “When I was younger, there was nothing like this. If it had been, it might have been better. Some days are just hard, just hard being a mum, being a parent.
“It’s struck me how kind people are and how much need is in the area I grew up in. I was a bit naive to that.
“People need help. If they have got that, that makes them feel a bit better and then you can help them get to the root of the problem.”
Praising her team of volunteers, she added: “What we have done in that time has changed people’s lives however small. That is what I am proud of.
“I want people to feel if you are six or 60 to come here and feel a sense of belonging.”
Volunteers and members of the Liscard community at the Shine Together community hub(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Shine Together is run by a group of volunteers who work full or part time and was set up by Michelle earlier this year. At the moment, the centre is running without major funding behind it, only charging £1 for its youth club while other activities are free.
Alice Barry, a mum from the area, said it has been a lifeline for her, adding: “It’s one of those places where they feel happy that you have come in. They are glad to see you.
“It makes everyone feel like they belong here. You feel a real sense of belonging straight away and I trust my children being here.”
Cllr Brian Kenny, Wirral Mayor, said he expected the organisation to go from strength to strength(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The supermarket was opened on October 15 by Wirral Mayor Cllr Brian Kenny. It has been supported by a number of supermarkets including £600 from the town’s ASDA, Tesco, and Feeding Britain provided the fridges and freezers.
Moira McAdam, from Feeding Britain’s Number 7 Café in Birkenhead, said she had been working with Michelle for years, adding: “There wasn’t anything like this in this area.
“We knew it was needed and Michelle has turned it around. There are a lot of families who will benefit from what she is doing.”
She told the ECHO not everyone can travel all the way to Birkenhead, adding: “I would like to see a Britain where nobody went hungry, no child went hungry but it’s not going to happen. While we can help, we will help.”
One parent described it as a lifeline for her(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Manda Davidson, the community champion for Liscard’s ASDA, said: “Shine Together is aiming to help people without prejudice. You do not have to prove anything.
“To have a place you know you are not being judged is really important.”
Wirral Mayor Cllr Brian Kenny said the initiative was really positive, adding: “I have always said Wirral is a fantastic place for people to live, work and visit but there are a lot of people out there who sometimes find life a little bit difficult so it’s fantastic to see something like this open up.
“It’s so important for people to have something like this to come on down if they’re feeling a bit down and there’s someone there to welcome them with a smile on their face and have a chat.”