Church launches laundry initiative
A Cambuslang church are to offer locals a clean break.
St Bride’s Parish Church have set up a free to use laundry room, letting locals who cannot afford to regularly wash and dry their clothes the chance to do so free of charge.
It follows on from the church’s popular Eat Up idea, which provides weekly hot meals in the community every Wednesday.
The church’s Father Paul Morton explained: “We have created a laundry room in the parish with washing machine and drier.
“The idea behind it is to help individuals and families who have difficulty affording the electricity to wash and dry their clothes.
“A lot of families and individuals, especially on low incomes, sometimes don’t even have access to washing machines and driers and when they do it is difficult to budget for them.
“I suppose it is not so much washing away your sins but washing your clothes, which would be the idea.”
The church are optimistic that they can expand the facilities in the coming weeks.
Father Morton added: “We hope also over the next few weeks to add a shower facility, again people in very difficult circumstances often find it difficult to get a wash.
“People who are homeless or who depend on accommodation from others have no direct access to shower or washing up facilities. The new shower room would allow people that possibility.
“We are also starting an initiative in which we hive a package of soap powder, cleaning agents and a small token to be redeemed if you are on card meters, to allow a person to afford to do their washing.”
The church’s Eat Up scheme has now been running for over a year, and has proved a big success since launching.
Earlier this year Father Morton told the Reformer that the projects were aimed at helping those less fortunate in the community.
He said: “People on their own are coming and speaking to other people, and others are coming because they want to have a good meal.
“One of the principal aims was to reach out to people who are not getting a nutritious meal, and I think we are managing to do that.
“It will break up now and again for holidays but it has become a regular thing that is welcoming people from across the community.”
I suppose it is not so much washing away your sins but washing your clothes...”