Wakefield-born chair opens much-needed Community Hub

On Wednesday, we officially opened our Community Hub here on our very own Thornes Park Campus, welcoming guests such as Wakefield Council, Wakefield College and Bradford City AFC.

The event, which takes place just a month after we opened our doors to boys’ and girls’ youth clubs, housed over 50 guests from businesses residing in West Yorkshire. 

Local organisations were treated to a large open space to network and connect with one another, while also being treated to a welcome selection of sandwiches and pizzas. 

Over the last few months, and with the cost-of-living crisis continuing to apply pressure on low-income households, our Penny Appeal at Home team have made a significant push on their campaign, supporting those in need, not just in Wakefield, but across the country. 

As you would have seen in our previous blogs, weekly community feeds are now up and running in both Leeds and Bradford, enabling hungry residents to enjoy a hot fresh meal, while Youth Clubs for both boys and girls are routine fixtures in our Thornes Park refectory. 

The Chair of the Board of Trustees, Mohammed Jahangir said, “As a Wakefield lad myself, I am proud of the team at Penny Appeal to put on events like yesterday.

“As someone who was born and raised in Wakefield, I am always honoured to be a part of any project that brings the Wakefield community together.”

“We are an Islamic charity, but we are proudly British, and wherever we can, we will give back to those in the community, that honestly need it the most. 

“To see our weekly community feeds bring so much joy to the needy, as well as watching our young boys and girls socialising within our Penny Appeal Campus, it brings me so much joy to see a dream come true. 

“Our Community Hub will be the go-to spot in Wakefield for anyone who needs support, or anyone who wants to be a part of a community-led programme that works with the community for the community”

The sentiment was echoed by the our newly-appointed interim CEO, Ishaq Israr, who previously headed Pakistan’s Penny Appeal office. 

“I have seen the lasting impacts of poverty, natural disasters, and conflict, and the one thing that is crucial to the rebuilding of any community, regardless of the circumstance is support, dedication and reliable support.”

“It was a pleasure to see so many like-minded individuals come down and support us - it gives us such great belief that the work we are doing here in the UK, is being recognised.

“We thank everyone for supporting our Community Hub and working together to turn small change into a BIG difference right here in the UK.”