Church on the Street: Kind-hearted global donors raise thousands in just days to support most vulnerable in Burnley

Pastor Mick Fleming, along with Father Alex of St Matthew's Church, featured on the BBC this week to talk about how poverty in Burnley had reached unprecedented levels during lockdown.

At the beginning of pandemic, Pastor Fleming spoke to the Burnley Express about how he, along with an army of volunteers, had been delivering more than 100 food parcels a day to vulnerable households.

He told us he was being met on doorsteps by elderly people in floods of tears, and by hundreds of young families desperately ripping open care parcels.

It is poverty epidemic that he believes has now been exacerbated by recent events.

"It's certainly got worse since then. We're seeing different problems now. A lot more mental health problems, suicides, the relapses, the use of opiates.

"Many of my friends have died. It's just horrendous, absolutely horrendous. Access to mental health services are really, really bad; access to drug and health services, horrendous. People are living on the streets again. It's awful."

And it is the poorest communities that are being hit hardest during the pandemic.

BBC analysis shows the death rate from all causes between April and June this year in the most deprived areas was nearly double that of deaths in the least deprived parts of the country.

Pastor Fleming said it was partly down to Covid-19, in respect of how lockdown had affected large swathes of the population, but the issue is more systemic.

"There are so many people with underlying mental health conditions," he said. "We have people who are disabled with no food. They haven't got the capacity to do the things that need to be done. And there's nobody there to help them with these issues.

"This has been a problem for years, but the numbers of people struggling, and the help that is required, that's going up. Lockdown has definitely made it worse."

From the age of 11, Pastor Fleming battled drug and alcohol addiction, and experienced homelessness himself before what he calls a 'religious experience' seven years ago gave his life new meaning.

He boasts a theological degree from Manchester University and in March 2019 was ordained.

Shortly before his ordination, he started up the Church on the Street ministry in response to the rise of rough sleepers in the town.

The ministry meet outside McDonalds in the town centre every Tuesday and Friday, from 1pm until 2-30pm, where they hand out food and drink to Burnley's impoverished along with help and advice.

They also hand out food on Wednesday and Thursday evenings from the old Thompson Centre car park.

"We've had to obviously tailor it recently," he said. "But we're still doing it. And we're still handing out food deliveries on a daily basis as well.

"We're trying to lift people up, doing whatever we can. When people die, these guys don't have the money for funerals. So we're trying to do something about that. There are so many different issues, I could go on and on."

In the face of what feels like a never-ending battle, there is hope. Pastor Fleming believes they have found a structure that works, one that doesn't keep people in a cycle of perpetual poverty.

"We've found a tried and tested way that is now working. We've started recovery groups and these are absolutely flying. They're going all over the north of England.

"People come to us who are struggling, and we all come together. We sit down,and it's like a self-help group and we help each other to get free.

"So what we're doing is helping the addicted community, and the homeless community, which go hand in hand a lot of the time, out of poverty.

"We're seeing people get clean, we're seeing lives changed. We're helping people a bit further along the line as well now. We're helping people out of poverty, and we're helping them stay out of poverty."

COTS has opened it first charity shop today, which is located in Barnoldswick.

The charity is also on the verge of securing a building in Burnley that will be used as a type of community hub.

"We'll run the church from here. We'll be able to feed people every single day from here, and help people in the way we feel they need to be helped.

"Once we get that going it will change the face of the town; the problems ie. addiction, homelessness, rough sleeping, debt and all the other things that go along with this; we will be able to fully tackle. It will completely transform what we are able to do.

"It is all about bringing people together."

Anybody wishing to donate can do so by clicking here - https://uk.gf.me/v/c/3m77/support-the-most-vulnerable-in-burnleyDrop-off points for food can be found at St Matthew's Church, Harriet Street, Burnley, and at Mount Zion Church in Cliviger. Check Facebook for up-to-date opening times.