HELPING HUB A GAME-CHANGER

Wrexham multibank provides goods to those in need

- By STEVE BAGNALL

A BUSINESS leader sprang into action after hearing about plans to redistribute surplus goods from retail giants like Amazon to struggling families in Wrexham.

Caroline Platt, the managing director of family-run Platts Agriculture in Llay, is leading the push to launch North Wales' first multibank operation, aimed at providing essentials like clothing, bedding and toiletries.

She revealed the idea to galvanise Wrexham businesses and charity organisations came during a charity trek in the Himalayas with Cherrie Bija, chief executive of the Faith in Families charity which runs the Cwtch Mawr multibank in Swansea.

After returning home, she arranged a meeting of members of Wrexham Leadership Alliance and local charities with Cherrie to outline the benefits of a multibank and took a group to Swansea to see Cwtch Mawr in action.

Among them were distribution and warehousing firm McCarthy Group's managing director Mike McCarthy and his wife, Louise, Chief Officer at AVOW in Wrexham Dawn Roberts-McCabe, and Chris Buchan, head of community and third sector policy at Welsh Government.

As a result, a successful trial run has taken place with surplus goods from major retailers being transported to Wrexham and distributed to five local charities by the McCarthy Group.

The charities supported were Caia Park Partnership, EYST Wrexham, UareUK, We Are Plas Madoc and Wrexham Foodbank.

According to Caroline, the successful pilot had shown how much of a difference a North Wales multibank hub could make, both to families struggling to cope and to the environment.

She said huge volumes of brand new goods were not being used despite many households going without basic essentials.

The next step would be securing sustainable funding so the operation could expand and support families across the region.