Wigan and Leigh Community Charity (WLCC) has been at the heart of the borough for the last ten years, enhancing local resources and supporting the development of small businesses to contribute to the education, employment and enterprise provision in the area.

However, its roots have been growing for a quarter of a century.

Its founder, David Baxter, said:

“I’m born and bred here. It’s special to have a job in your local area. The amount of people that I’ve met along the way, it feels like a family.”

The journey began in 1999 when a small group secured a pot of lottery funding to transform a disused block of flats on Ribble Road into what would become a vital community resource: the Platt Bridge Youth Zone. The vision was ambitious; create a space that would not only serve as a Youth Zone but also house Business Start units, a nursery, a café, and a dedicated space for local residents.

By 2001, the project had gained enough momentum to come under the ownership of Wigan Council. Here came its new name, Platt Bridge Community Zone, reflecting its broader role within the area.

Wigan Council continued to invest in the project, funding the development of Business Incubator Units in 2009. However, by 2012, the future of Platt Bridge Community Zone was uncertain and Wigan Council announced plans to close the facility.

It was saved by a successful application to Wigan Council’s Community Investment Fund in 2013, whereby Abram Ward Community Cooperative was first established.

In 2017, as Abram Ward Community Cooperative, the organisation was successful in its application to be part of Power to Change’s Empowering Places programme and Platt Bridge Community Zone relaunched as a Community Business hub. The programme was focused on growing Community Businesses in the Abram Ward area.

In the same year, they introduced the "Made in Wigan" brand, a bold initiative aimed at reducing inequality through the growth of community businesses.

But today, now known as Wigan and Leigh Community Charity, they remain committed to serving the area with more ambitious plans on the horizon.

Thanks to their resilience, Wigan is today recognised as a Social Enterprise Place by Social Enterprise UK, with over 250 social enterprises operating across the borough.

David Baxter added:

“Looking ahead, we don’t want to lose the grassroots of where we started, such as developing a neighbourhood plan in Abram Ward which is due to go to referendum.

“We want to continue to grow the local Social Enterprise Network and ultimately start to see more places and hubs pop up in other neighbourhoods that might not be as fully engaged yet in this sector, so we’d like to support those.

“We want to do more community organising, get more people into work, increase our school offer working with young people. We led Wigan borough into being registered as a Social Enterprise Town, but there’s still a lot of work to do in the sector.

“Wigan borough just has that entrepreneurial spirit! There’s something special about us, we have passion for our neighbourhoods. We saw that really come out during the pandemic and it continues to grow every year.”

Eunice Smethurst, Councillor of Abram Ward, said:

“I have been part of the Platt Bridge community building since its conception. Over the years I have seen the building change, many groups, offering different opportunities to the community have been part of the building. I am so proud of being part of the Platt Bridge Community Zone.

“The building is so much more than just a part of the Platt Bridge community, it’s a part of the borough. I could not be prouder of what has been achieved in the last 25 years.”

Find out more about Wigan and Leigh Community Charity here: https://wlcommunity.org.uk/