New home for The Hummingbird Project in Glossop

A clothing bank and community support hub in Glossop has just moved into new and bigger premises. 

The Hummingbird Project provides preloved and new items of clothing, as well as everything from toiletries and interview suits to homeware and furnishings. 

It’s moved from a small base on High Street West into a spacious 1,800 sq ft unit on Surrey Street, opposite Glossop North End’s football ground, which has been made possible by grant funding from Derbyshire County Council and The Bureau. 

"It's been really hard work, we were closed for two weeks whilst we were moving over but we did about 50 requests in that time so we've still been available for people to use," said Jo Gregory, co-founder of The Hummingbird Project.

"We've had such an amazing team behind it. On the day we moved, we had around 35 people and probably the same the day after. Our core team of volunteers worked really hard over the two weeks we were closed to get everything ready. 

"The first day was very busy, we had around 100 people come through the door. Since we've opened, we've had a lot of donations and there's been a really good vibe. It's been really positive and hopefully we've helped everyone who has come in." 

WATCH: Here's a quick look around The Hummingbird Project's new premises...

'We want to remove the stigma around clothing banks' 

The Hummingbird Hub was founded in 2012 with a shop in Buxton and sent 50,000 tonnes of aid to refugee hotspots in Europe. Co-founder Pam Lake has also just opened new Hummingbird premises too in north Wales where she now lives. 

The shop was open for around five years and then, after a break, The Hummingbird Project relaunched around two years ago from Jo's cellar in Padfield running as a clothing bank, while she also co-ordinated a laptop appeal for local schools during Covid, as well as school uniform pop-up events. 

Through National Lottery funding, The Hummingbird Project - which is also one of three chosen charities to benefit from High Peak Mayor Ollie Cross's year in office - moved into new premises at 174 High Street West, above the former Fig office, last summer. 

Jo says The Hummingbird Project is proud to be part of the preloved community in Glossop and wants its new home to have a charity shop feel. 

The Hummingbird Project has expanded its offering in its new home 

"I think what we want to try to do is remove the stigma around clothing banks," she told the Glossop Chronicle. "The whole idea is that this is powered by the community - everything in here is donated by the community to then be reused by the community. 

"The idea that it looks like a shop is very important because it's more of a dignified distribution channel than if we were just handing out bags of things to people, so they can come in and choose what they want. 

"It looks a lot different to our previous premises, there's a lot more space for people to browse. It's ground floor based and we have a ramp so we're pram and wheelchair accessible. There's lots of places for people to sit down so there's more of a relaxed feel too. 

"We're really proud to be part of the preloved community and we want to do our best to promote charity shops as well as other charitable groups in the area such as ourselves." 

The new unit will also allow for sessions to offer widespread support to local people with a number of issues. 

"We have an area in the middle which is called the hub," Jo explained. "We have a table football table, there are lots of places for children to draw and colour in. We have a sofa too so there's more of a community feel where people can come in and spend time. 

"We're hoping to start a timetable of events too. We're going to have some sessions called 'On the sofa with...' where we'll invite local experts in financial matters, paying your rent, heating your house, make do and mend, recipes and all kinds of stuff." 

When the new premises are open and where they are

The premises are currently open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 10am to 2pm, which is when donations can also be dropped off. 

It's based at Unit 3C on Surrey Street, on the road in between Whistle Stop and Glossop Gymnastics, where they hope to stay for at least three years. 

The unit where The Hummingbird Project now resides 

Jo said: "We're open to anyone of any background from any postcode, there is no eligibility criteria at all. You can use us because you need us, you can use us because you want to use us. You can come in and exchange things, you can bring in your rags and you can donate. We do take cash donations but it's absolutely optional. People can come in and give what they can and take what they need." 

It's all made possible by a dedicated team of volunteers who offer their services for free in different ways. 

"I have a team of team leaders who are absolutely wonderful in helping to run it on a daily basis," Jo added. "Nobody gets paid, everyone is voluntary. I have a full-time business that I run so my team leaders are an integral part of this, followed by a vast number of volunteers who will come in to do collections and deliveries. 

"We have a network of probably over 50 people who feed in their services for free to help us to run and for that we are massively grateful. We really couldn't do it without them." 

You can contact The Hummingbird Project via the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/hummingbirdhubs or email hummingbirdhubs@gmail.com  

LISTEN: Hear our full interview with Jo Gregory below.