YVONNE 'SMELLS THE COFFEE' AND TAKES HOME ONE OF OUR COMMUNITY AWARDS

Continuing with our pledge to reward the unsung community heroes who have done so much for their local community and for no reward or recognition, we had no hesitation in awarding the highly prized and much valued (that enough Ed?) award to a Community Champion.

Today we visited Eccles Precinct to present our latest salford.media Community Award to a lady who is a familiar figure there as she serves up drinks in all weathers to her dedicated customers.

Yvonne McGarvey has run the Eccles Coffee Stall there for the past four years and has turned this corner of the Precinct into a meeting place, were her loyal customers come for a chat, a brew and talk their cares away.

The Covid crisis has hit Yvonne as hard as anyone else but she rose to the occasion and as soon as restrictions were eased, it was normal service as usual and the customers I have spoken to, were delighted to see her back.

Yvonne not only dispenses drinks with a smile for all her customers but has a real care for them, she can be seen organising Bingo sessions with prizes she donates herself and with the profits made she takes takes her many of her more elderly customers out for a day trip, four times a year to Southport, Blackpool and Morecambe where they get a free meal in a hotel and free transport there and back, for which she deserves a round of applause at least, a real unsung hero and a fitting recipient of the award.

She has become a huge asset to Eccles Precinct and is beloved by her customers just as much as the hot beverages she serves.

So if your in the Precinct why not take the weight off your feet, have a brew with Yvonne and watch the world go by.