SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS IN ECCLES AT SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY

Following on with the news that Salford Council have purchased Eccles Precinct for £4.15M which will hopefully go a long way to solving the long standing problems there, further good news.

David Clewes who you may remember was a Superintendent Caretaker over the high rise flats in Eccles for many years, was looking at spending a lonely Christmas and 84th Birthday until Yvonne McGarvey who runs The Eccles Coffee Bar in the precinct got wind of this.

She laid on a surprise birthday party for him today in one of the shop units which is used for craft and children's events, and with some two dozen of her regular customers invited it was a roaring success.

There were sandwiches, cakes, chocolates, biscuits, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and even a bottle of Cava to toast David's birthday, all paid for by Yvonne.

Dave told me:

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"I had no idea that Yvonne was holding a party for me, I am a regular at her tea stall where I go and chat with friends and play Bingo, I am delighted that she has done this for me, but she does so much for her customers, even taking them on day trips out to the seaside, she is a Godsend to so many people"

Yvonne was her usual modest self:

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"David is a lovely man, I know he isn't in the best of health so I thought it would be nice to have a little party for him and invite both customers and friends to attend, I think the world of my customers and I am more than happy to help out"

The day got better for David when two of Yvonne's customers, Jo Jo Wright Lomas and her husband, Steven Lomas invited to come to their house for Christmas dinner tomorrow, what a magnificent gesture"

JoJo, said:

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"I hate the idea of anybody spending Christmas on their own, we know David from chatting at Yvonne's tea stall, he is a nice man and it's no problem in fact I am pleased that he is coming for his dinner with us, we shall have a great time"

These two good deeds for me encapsulate both the kindness of people who go that bit further to help others and the true spirit of Christmas and Eccles, and to think Yvonne's Coffee Stall was under threat of closure from the previous precinct owners.

She must stay and carry on with her good work, she is almost an unpaid social worker the way she looks after her customers, they see her stall as a meeting place where they can meet, for a drink and a chat, bringing people together, holding events in the square, just recently the 100th Birthday Party she threw for one of her regulars being a prime example.

All in all a lovely little morning out in Eccles precinct and I hope to see many. many more of this kind, it warms your heart, bless them all.