Episode 1 Sister Rita to the Rescue

Across Britain, in hundreds of towns,

cities and neighbourhoods, people are struggling with everyday

worries that have got on top of them.

But there are places to turn,

even if it seems that no-one else will help.

This centre is one of them,

made unique by the woman that runs it.

A nun for 50 years...

-HONKS HORN

-Bye-bye.

..she's made it her mission to get this community back on its feet

and make a real difference to the lives of as many people as she can...

..in her own particular way.

They don't call me the Formidable Sister Rita for nothing.

Today, Sister Rita has to act fast when she discovers not

everyone coming to her foodbank really needs its help.

The foodbank is a lifeline. It is not a lifestyle.

And the team swings into action delivering furniture, food, or

simply a supportive ear to those who most need its help.

I don't think anybody should go out without having some

difference made to their situation.

That would be my aim.

10am in Collyhurst, Manchester.

As the Lalley Centre gets ready to open its doors,

a queue is already forming.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Wait a minute, please.

We have a little delay.

The Lalley is a drop-in centre, offering financial advice,

welfare support and tea and toast to the residents of one of the most

deprived areas in the UK.

Please, don't push, don't push.

And no-one messes with the woman in charge, known to

all as the Formidable Sister Rita.

When I talk, you shut up. I'm telling you.

I'll throw him out in a minute.

Do you want me to throw you out?

In her 50th year as a nun,

Sister Rita's determined to improve the lives of as many

people as she can and she's doing it in her own, unique way.

People have an idea that religious sisters are very quiet and docile.

Would you go away, would you? Clear off.

It's not like that at all.

You either come in now or we'll have to phone them

and tell them you didn't show up for two days.

It's safe to say that Sister Rita makes quite

an impression on everyone she meets.

Good afternoon, it's the Lalley Centre.

It is the boss. Who's speaking?

Mr Derbyshire, you're dead when I get you.

You're dead and all your employees are dead.

People who have met Sister Rita are acquainted with the concept of fear.

Do you know, darling, that when I talk, you don't?

I don't suffer fools gladly.

If you're not happy with it, knock on my door

and we'll discuss it, OK?

I don't mince words.

I say it right out, looking into your eyes.

But for those who come looking for help,

there's no-one better to have on your side.

I'm going to sort this today, do you know that?

Thank you. I know.

My name is Sister Rita. I run the Lalley Centre.

I sat here crying my eyes out and she put me at ease

and she said, "Don't worry, we're going to help you."

Give it a bit of time.

You will meet lovely people in here because lovely people come in.

She was extremely welcoming, extremely friendly

and told us that we weren't alone.

"We will give you help and all you have to do is ask if you need it."

Have you got any manager there?

A senior manager if possible, please.

Everybody who comes in, love her.

She's a very, very good woman and a very good person.

Well, you could be just the one I want to talk to.

'OK, what's it regarding, Sister Rita?'

I'll tell you what's happening.

She's just great.

You can have a laugh and if you've got a problem,

she'll try and help.

Thank you. Yes!

Sister Rita's made it her mission to find solutions for everyone

who comes through her door

and the issues she and her team of volunteers tackle

are replicated in communities right across the country.

You'll be smiling at the end of the day.

Whether it's helping people understand their benefits,

or encouraging them to look for work,

she wants people to realise that at least some of the answers

may be closer to home than they may have realised.

Do you want another cup of tea?

-I will, please.

-Yeah. Go on. Why not?

-You won't get drunk on it.

-No, I know.

Some of the people come in and you actually wouldn't believe

the dire poverty they're living in.

They would say they had no beds for the children and they're

putting them on the floor on duvets and things like that.

Our brief is to try, to the best of our ability, to move them on a bit.

And sometimes, as today, that's about giving more than just advice.

# Do what you do do well, boy

# Do what you do do well... #

Rita and her team have a very special delivery for Livia,

a single mum who came to the centre because she's finding it hard

to manage on what she earns working part-time.

She is struggling, big time, with furniture, so we are just

bringing her two wardrobes that she desperately needs.

She needs them for her son and she has a baby, of course.

This is what we do, we just bring stuff that people need

and try to make their lives a bit more bearable.

It could go into the wall. Yeah, right back to the wall.

That's it. Yeah.

That's fine, yeah. Now, the next one.

Careful, Naz, take your time.

Furniture won't solve all Livia's problems,

but it's made a difference just knowing there's somewhere

nearby she can go for support.

-So, you're happy with the two wardrobes?

-Yes.

-You've waited a long time for them.

-Yes. Thank you.

-It's no problem.

And Rita's not done yet.

When you come to the Lalley Centre, we will give you

a doll for the baby, OK?

Yeah? I'll see you tomorrow.

-Bye-bye then, you.

-Say bye-bye.

It's very rewarding when you see people getting

something that they really, really need.

In a case like this, we continue, at the Lalley, to support and make

sure that if there is anything else they need,

we'll do our best to get it.

Back at the Lalley, the most immediate way that

people in the area get help is from the foodbank.

This is the foodbank. We do it as fairly as we can.

It's the most obvious resource the centre provides to the

community and one of hundreds of foodbanks run by charities

and church groups right across Britain.

You do not go to the foodbank from here until your number is called.

Is that clear?

Over the last couple of years,

demand for foodbanks has risen to record levels.

It's been estimated that, nationally,

up to a million people have been using them.

For Sister Rita, the Lalley's foodbank is

the cornerstone of everything she's hoping to achieve in this community.

She'd love all her resources to be under one roof,

but at the moment, it's based down the road in a separate building

and open two mornings a week.

The poverty in Collyhurst, it would make you weep.

There are people struggling like mad to make ends meet

and I say, "Well, that's where we're going to help you.

"We'll help you with food."

I'll have one of those. And they've got tuna there.

I've got a tuna salad! That's all right, innit?!

Anyone can drop in once and take some food.

But Sister Rita's quite clear that those wanting to return

a second time will need to be assessed by the team to see

if they really merit the centre's help.

They have to have an assessment so we need to see their documents,

benefits, proof of address

and we want to know what's going on in the family, as well.

Could somebody close the door, please?

We are not heating the outside of Collyhurst.

The team works hard to make what could be a dispiriting

process as positive as it can be.

If you give somebody a sweet, or you have something for the kids,

it's a good feeling for them, really.

It's bleak enough waiting outside in the cold,

so it's a nice start to coming in.

Carol is number nine.

Number nine or number six?

No, number nine.

Rita's deputy, Max, gives everyone who comes in a number,

and when that number is called, it's their turn to head to the

distribution building over the road and pick up their food.

They come down here, they start here with the bread

and then the cornflakes and then they go out there,

there should be meat and whatever comes in.

To fill the foodbank shelves, Sister Rita and her team have to

charm local and national businesses into making donations.

This is from Kellogg's. All this bread is from Greggs.

Any food left after the shutters come down is still put to good use.

Any leftovers are given to another charity.

They come and pick it up after we've finished.

There are mountains of food being wasted in our country today.

It's totally vital to all of us that we don't waste food.

The UK tops the chart for food waste in Europe,

with 15 million tonnes of food ending up in the bin each year.

Most of that's thrown away by households,

but supermarkets are under pressure to do their bit too.

Morrisons recently became the first supermarket to announce it

will donate all its unsold food to charity.

At her foodbank, to make sure everything's distributed fairly,

Sister Rita relies on a team of volunteers to police how much

each person can take.

OK. Choose for yourself, then. One of each thing along.

They can't just take what they want.

You've got to make sure that everybody gets

a chance at a diet that's nutritious.

Can I have them nice ones there, Tony?

Yeah. They're nice, them ones. You have them. They're fresh.

Cheers, Tony!

I would say 99% of the time, it's OK and they will take what

we tell them.

There might be the 1% when they might get annoyed, but it

doesn't matter if you get annoyed or not, you're not going to get it.

See you next week, yeah. Thank you.

Some of those who use the food bank have become regulars.

This bread will probably last two or three days.

And for now, one of the people relying on the supplies

he gets here, is John.

These are the good things cos you can have them

in your cupboard for God knows how long, so, you know,

that'll be saved for some future date when I've got no food.

But 18 months ago, his life was very different.

And the idea he'd be making weekly visits to a foodbank was

the last thing he could've imagined.

Welcome to the humble abode!

For now, this small housing association flat is John's home.

You can see it's quite narrow and there's no carpet yet.

He lives alone, with no bed, fridge or cooker.

This is basically my cooking station for the moment.

When I make a full pot of that, that's three, four days' food.

It's a far cry from where he lived until 2014,

when he was working in Thailand.

I was doing IT installations for a company. It was great.

It was a good life.

This is the place where I stayed in Thailand. Beautiful place.

It's a bit of a difference in lifestyle.

Things went downhill rapidly

when John's employers in the Far East got into financial trouble.

The last company I worked for decided to cease

their activities without telling the people that were working for them.

The company left a lot of us out of pocket, a lot of us,

and it ended up being quite a lot of money.

John returned to the UK with £8,000 in savings.

Once that was spent, and unable to find work, he applied for benefits.

But he soon found himself with what's called a benefits sanction,

a temporary cut in his payouts.

Officials told John he wasn't doing enough to look for work, although

over the period in question, he'd been doing various courses

and volunteering that he hoped would boost his chances of employment.

As a result, his payouts have gone down to just over £26 a month.

If you get sanctioned, you're in trouble, because you can't make

a phone call and hope somebody's going to back step, cos they won't.

They'll say, "Well, I'm afraid it is what it is,

"you've got to accept that decision."

Benefits sanctions have proved controversial, and more than half

of those challenged in independent tribunals have been overturned.

The government is confident the policy's working in the way

it should, weaning people away from a reliance on benefits

and back into work.

But Sister Rita, who sees their impact first-hand, isn't convinced.

I do believe in discipline and I won't stand for any nonsense.

But when they tell me they've been sanctioned,

there's kind of an alarm and fear.

This devastation, powerlessness, really, that they're in.

I don't think leaving people without money is a good idea.

It was at this point, with money tight and unsure where else

to turn, that John found his way to the food bank at the Lalley.

-They are good ones, you know.

-Yeah, yeah.

The first time I came here, I hadn't eaten for eight days so, I said,

"Well, if these people are prepared to help me,

"then I will gladly accept."

Even though it took quite a while to get used to that.

She's no soft touch, but even after five decades as a nun

and social worker, Sister Rita still finds stories

like John's difficult to hear.

When people come in and they say they're hungry, it's always

a bit of a shock that they're struggling to such an extent.

You never get used to it.

Thank you very much. See you now. Bye-bye.

Right, let's see what we've got.

Back at John's flat, it's clear how much he values the service

Sister Rita provides.

Certainly for the last four or five weeks, with the lack of funds

due to the sanction, I wouldn't have eaten without the foodbank.

Simple as that.

With me, I knew that if I didn't get something,

I was going to do myself some long-term damage.

John's sanction will shortly come to an end, at which point his benefit

payments will return to normal.

He's hoping it's the first sign that his luck may be about to

change for the better.

I'm hoping to get my first payment after a four-months sanction

on Friday.

If I've got money, I don't need to take food from the foodbank.

Big plans, big plans.

John's in no doubt he owes a great deal to the Lalley Centre

and it's a debt he hopes to find a way to repay.

But Sister Rita's team has been making a difference to the

lives of local people like him for the last seven years.

We should stick up for those people who are struggling.

It's taken a lot of hard work to turn

the Lalley into somewhere that the community can rely on.

I'll never forget the day I saw the main room where the

Lalley Centre is and I thought we would never get this sorted.

But it very slowly began to look like a drop-in centre.

It wasn't a flush number of people in the first two months,

but we didn't give up and as word got around, slowly,

the numbers began to build and, well,

we have the Lalley as it is today.

As the centre's grown, so too has Sister Rita's

ambition for the range of problems it tries to help with.

If you have to pay bedroom tax, you can't pay it, put your name

down there and we've got somebody who's coming in who'll help you.

It's now a one-stop shop with advice on everything from debt

and benefits to how to apply for jobs.

The main aim of the Lalley Centre is to improve people's

lives in whatever way we can.

Collyhurst is a very poor area.

As a society, you can't drag those people, you have to carry them.

So, we address those issues of poverty

and when they begin to believe that, you know, you do care about them,

actually, very much, then they begin to want to go forward.

I don't think anybody should go out without having some

difference made to their situation.

That would be my aim. That would be all our aim.

Though just a stone's throw from some of the smarter

parts of Manchester, the area around the Lalley is officially

ranked as one of the most deprived parts of England, which is

why Rita is so impatient to build on the successes she's achieved so far.

I think the powers don't want to hear this,

but there are poor people still in our country and as long as they're

struggling, we will be there to support them at the Lalley Centre.

There are centres like the Lalley in communities across the UK.

But many of the locals who'd most benefit from their advice

don't use them, either in the mistaken belief there's

a stigma in asking for help, or because they're not fully

aware of the support that's available right on their doorstep.

To put that right, Sister Rita's on a mission to spread the word.

She's arranged a residents' meeting at one of Collyhurst's main

tower blocks, where she hopes to tell people about the crucial

help they could be missing out on.

Hello, Steve, how are you?

-Sister Rita.

-It would be nice to meet you if it wasn't for this door.

-Do come in.

-It's lovely to meet you, Steve.

Steve Anderson is one of the residents keen to find out

more about how a centre like the Lalley can make a practical

difference to people's lives.

I don't know very much about it at all, other than the fact

that it's a facility that I think that we need.

There's no reason, on this estate, for people to be lonely

and on their own. The problem is getting the word out.

And that could be more of an issue than Sister Rita had anticipated.

Because despite the number of people who live in the high-rises,

only a handful of them have turned up.

One of those who has come along is Tony,

who heads up the Roach Court Residents Association.

Well, as I say, we've leafleted everybody, so everyone's aware

it's on tonight. How many people will turn up tonight, I don't know.

Let's see what happens. Watch this space, they say.

Yeah, exactly.

But the poor turnout isn't the only shocker of the night.

Tony straight away brings up an issue

he says many of his fellow residents routinely complain about.

It seems some locals are put off using the Lalley

because they believe the foodbank is being misused by people

from outside the area, who don't really need the food to survive.

And that's contributed to the low turnout.

There's a lot of opposition and it's generally the fact that

they see people arrive in expensive cars and go into the foodbank

and get free food.

There's been rumours that when the pub was open,

they were actually taking it from there and going selling it in

the pub and over the convenience store over the road.

Tony's point, though not what the Sister wants to hear,

doesn't come as a total surprise.

I suppose there are people coming into the foodbank sometimes,

and they're out to exploit us or they really don't need the food.

That's something we deal with on a day-by-day basis.

Not a very nice feeling.

When the meeting does get started, Sister Rita kicks

things off in her usual style.

So, I think you all know who I am by now,

except the two at the back munching.

Tackling the foodbank issue head on, Sister Rita

and her trusty deputy, Max, explain how they vet the people using

the service to make sure no-one's trying it on.

If you come the first time and you have no documents, what do we do?

We do let them take for the first time.

If they say they have children, we provide only for them

and once they bring the birth certificates, then

we will provide the food for them and their children.

Nobody gets away with it, because we hate injustice.

Why are we in this job? Because we hate injustice.

You're talking about people with cars and you check, etc, etc.

But I know and people round here know, and I know because

I've seen them.

They're parking their cars on Rochdale Road,

they're parking their cars up by Mossbrook in the car park

and walking down.

Now, these are big expensive cars.

I don't understand how they can do that,

if you do all the checks like you say.

I would not stand up here and say to you, nobody cheats us,

because this is a cheating world, I'm afraid,

and there are times when it will just escape through.

We are very vigilant, we are constantly on about it.

We say to the visitors, if you see anybody driving up here in a car,

we want to know about it and they are the best detectives of the lot.

Sister Rita's taken aback at how the perception that the foodbank

is being misused has so clearly taken hold amongst these residents.

But as the meeting ends, she knows it's an issue

she urgently needs to sort out.

Oh, I'm very concerned about the cars.

We're going to follow it up, but we're always following it up and

we'll get somebody down there just to see and they'll be barred.

It's as simple as that.

We won't play around with it, they'll just be barred.

For many years, the growing use of foodbanks in the UK

has proven controversial.

For some, the fact they're even needed in 21st century Britain,

is a national disgrace.

While others have suggested the rise in people using them

is as much to do with growing awareness that such services

exist, as it is genuine need.

Tim! Two more, please.

But Sister Rita prides herself on remaining extra vigilant

when it comes to assessing who should and who shouldn't

have access to her foodbank.

In the Lalley Centre, it's not easy to walk in

and just walk away with food.

Pasties!

I would say to them, "Don't come here trying to pull the wool over

"our eyes. Unless you bring me this, this and this, don't come back."

The foodbank is a lifeline. It is not a lifestyle.

Abuse of the foodbank is something Sister Rita is not

going to tolerate.

She knows it could fuel the antagonism some people have

towards them.

She's concerned it risks bringing the rest of the Lalley's

work into disrepute.

She investigates further

and finds that the finger points towards one couple in particular.

They're reported to have driven into the area several times,

parked out of sight,

then loaded their car up with food meant for those who need it.

This is a red flag to Sister Rita, who firmly believes that if someone

can afford to run a car, then they can afford to buy their own food.

If people are doing that, they're really laughing behind your back

and, I don't know, spreading it around outside,

and it's not fair to the others.

To find out how this couple could be slipping through the net,

Sister Rita calls an urgent meeting with Lalley Centre social

worker, Lorraine.

And it seems that while the woman does appear to have been assessed,

her male partner is unknown to the team, which means he shouldn't be

regularly returning to the foodbank, let alone

taking his own share of the food.

Do you know them?

I don't know them. I spoke to them this morning.

But has she been here before?

Apparently, but I'd have to check the records.

-Did they sign in as two?

-Separate.

Oh, no, we never let them do that.

We are absolutely on it, right now, about cars.

So nobody... If they come with a car, not only do I need to see

their documents, but I need to know how they can afford to run a car.

Right, have you got documents with address and phone number of her?

She says she's not got a mobile number.

-And she's got a car?

-She's got a car.

Very suspicious, isn't it? We won't let this go.

-I need to see her if she comes tomorrow.

-OK.

I think we're going to have to hold a file on those we are not

sure of, until we absolutely find out, are they genuinely in need?

So, today, we failed miserably if they had food.

I'm just a bit miffed about it.

But when Sister Rita catches up with one of the volunteers, Naz,

it seems the problem may be worse than initially thought.

He confirms reports of other vehicles being loaded up with food.

If he's got a car like this and he park it far from here

and comes gets the food and walks this way...

Well, he knows very well, when I see a car, I see red.

-He knows.

-Unless it's a disability car.

And you know about him, as well, you asked him to bring some document

for you, you're just waiting for this.

Yeah, but she did, they brought everything.

The best people for keeping an eye on it are the visitors.

They tell us.

They'll tell us whatever's going on, because they don't like it either,

and they would rather that it was fair.

That's all we want, fair.

The realisation that her foodbank system is being abused

spurs the team into tightening up procedures.

We're all in this together.

The staff, the volunteers and the visitors,

in stopping exploitation at foodbanks and I think we do

a jolly good job of it.

But Sister Rita is encouraged to see that the visit to the high-rises

that sparked off her investigation, has had another,

more positive result.

There may not have been many people at the meeting,

but one of those that did attend, having known

little about the Lalley beforehand, has now called in asking for help.

-My name is Kath.

-Mariam.

Mariam. Thought I'd got it right.

Like many visitors to centres like the Lalley,

high-rise resident, Mariam, is finding it hard to make

sense of the bureaucracy that can surround applying for benefits.

Team member Kath is on hand to help her make sense of it all.

The first I became aware of her was last week.

She arrived here at the Lalley and she said,

"I've been told just to come down. I need some help with benefits."

And she's got a lot of medical problems.

Would you mind telling me about your health conditions?

Yeah. I've got osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia.

-I've got IBS.

-Yeah.

Vitamin D deficiency, high cholesterol, depression.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-It's madness.

Some days I feel like, you know...

Cos I want to be my old self, you know.

Then other days I just break down.

It's just coming to terms with your condition, isn't it, really?

Mariam applied for what used to be known as the

Disability Living Allowance, but since 2013, has been

called the Personal Independence Payment,

or PIP, for short.

It can provide much-needed financial support for those with

long-term health issues.

But four months after making the application,

Mariam still hasn't heard if she'll get one.

It's just taking so long.

I don't think they realise how stressful it becomes.

Course, yeah, it is.

There is a lot out there who don't know how to access things or

deal with things.

They can't get an appointment face-to-face with anyone.

They haven't got the money to use mobiles to ring up.

They don't know where to begin and they become full of fear

and that's why I think it's really important to be able to offer

that support to them.

For many people, the benefits system can seem impenetrable.

And navigating a clear path through isn't easy.

It's something Citizens Advice centres across the country

can help with, if you don't live in an area that has

a centre like the Lalley on your doorstep.

Oh, hiya. My name is Kath McCarren.

I'm an advice worker from a community centre in Manchester.

With a quick call to the office that processes the payments, Kath

soon discovers the problem.

There are two companies that assess eligibility for PIP claims

and Mariam's has been passed between the two.

In the process, some details have been missed off, causing delays.

OK, then. Thank you.

Thanks, bye.

-She said it wasn't your fault...

-Yeah.

-It was the company.

I think we've got to start from scratch.

Kath advises the best course of action is for Mariam to

re-apply for another assessment.

But she doesn't leave things there.

Whilst that's happening, she wants to know

if there's anything else the team can do to help.

Have you got a fridge or a washing machine?

-I've got a freezer, but no fridge.

-Right.

And I don't have a washing machine.

But out of the two things, if I could get one,

what would be most beneficial?

The washing machine.

The washing machine.

Kath starts hatching a plan.

Mariam's current benefits only cover her rent, food and bills,

and she can't afford the appliances she needs.

But it looks like, thanks to the team at the Lalley,

she may be about to get more help than she'd ever imagined.

Of course, Sister Rita and her team don't have a ready

supply of all the essentials that visitors come in saying

that they need, let alone washing machines.

Catholic charity, Caritas, gives the centre enough money to cover

the basic running costs.

But beyond that, like any charity,

the Lalley has to raise its own funds.

So, it's vital that Sister Rita can build up a battle-chest

she can use to help people in whatever ways

she considers best, whether that's buying appliances,

or finding furniture for families who are desperate.

But she's still several hundred pounds short of what

she needs this year.

So, today is a big one for her.

It's the all-important annual family fun day.

Well, this is a main fundraiser for the year.

I don't really get out of bed for less than 1,000,

but I don't think we're going to make 1,000 today.

I think we'll be kind of lucky to make 500 but anyway, you can hope.

But it looks like the nun has quite a mountain to climb.

With wet weather likely to dampen the enthusiasm of the locals,

Sister Rita knows she'll really have to roll up her sleeves

to squeeze as much profit as she can from the day's activities.

Brilliant. Thanks very much.

You can't run a charity without fundraising.

You have to keep fundraising all the time.

There's a lot of expenses that we have to pay.

£5 worth? Five tickets, right?

And I suppose that's the hardest thing, really,

looking for money to keep the whole thing going.

There's plenty going on at the centre.

Will you buy some cakes, please?

Face painting for the kids, free massages for the mums

and dads and outside in the car park, a very wet bouncy castle.

Name the doll. 50p a square.

Hamburgers and hot dogs are outside, get them while you can.

But it's not just about making money.

Sister Rita wants it to be fun and

for it to bring the community together.

Are you all right, love? Can I serve you?

Yeah, I'll take four of the cupcakes, please.

Put them on there. There's nothing in Collyhurst.

We have to make money but we also have to try

and break the apathy that's there.

They don't meet with other people, they don't want to go places,

you know, so we say, "You'd better be there or else!"

Under orders from Sister Rita to enjoy themselves,

visitors soon get into the spirit of things.

I fit kitchens and bathrooms, so I get a lot of backache,

you know, because of the job so, when she said to me,

"Would you like a back massage?" Well, what would you say?

I love a bargain.

Well, I came along to support the community.

What they do here is brilliant.

It's just having that link with other people, knowing there's

somebody at the end of the phone when times get hard and that.

Also making the most of the day is parish priest, Father Ged.

Brandy? Very good.

How many thousands do you think you'll make today?

-No, I won't make thousands.

-You won't make thousands?

-No.

I asked the Lord last night to make sure Man United won

and forgot to ask about the weather today, so sorry about that.

As the rain continues, there's not much action on the bouncy castle,

but have the activities inside raised the money Sister Rita urgently needs?

Time to tot up the takings with Lalley Centre volunteer, Pat.

-900 and...

-Five pounds.

-I can't believe we've made...

-That's with your float.

I thought we might make 500 today, so this is amazing.

It gives you great peace of mind to know that you can go on now,

another couple of months and pay your way, basically.

-So, we're very, very happy, aren't we?

-Very, very happy.

Very, very happy.

We can go out tonight and get legless.

Not just yet, though, because whether it's raising funds or

drumming up donations, bolstering the Lalley's resources is

a constant challenge the Sister likes to rush headlong into.

Let's bomb it!

She's not shy about tapping up big businesses that happen to

be on her patch.

And they don't come much bigger than Manchester City, one of the

world's richest football clubs, found right on the Lalley's doorstep.

Hello, Mike. How are you?

-Hiya. Nice to see you again. Are you OK?

-Yep.

Sister Rita is paying a visit to Mike Geary,

the Business Development Manager at City,

to collect the latest in a series of donations from the club.

I was introduced to Sister Rita about 18 months ago

and I'd heard about the work she was doing up at the Lalley Centre

and the foodbank and I just couldn't help

but kind of be moved by what she's doing.

-Are we allowed to do this?

-Yeah.

-Might be thrown out.

I don't think you'll ever meet anyone like Sister Rita.

She's so enthusiastic and it kind of instantly rubs off on you

and she's so driven and so motivated by just helping other people

that you can't help but want to help.

When Sister Rita first made contact with Manchester City,

she had no idea just what sort of help the club was about to provide.

Mike said that he had some stuff

and I thought, I don't think it clicked with me, really.

I'm not into football, am I?

Until he brought in the stuff and then,

I couldn't believe it, you know, and of course the people who work

with me thought this was heaven happening at the Lalley, you know.

We never had anything like this before.

This year, you know,

we've been able to donate 16 boxes of kit to the Lalley Centre.

We know that 100%, that's going to go to a family

or an individual who really need it.

After her tour around City's stadium, it's time for the Sister to get down

to the real business of the trip and collect Mike's latest donation.

These, what we've got for you today, are the away kits, so,

like you say, they're all brand-new adult ones.

I think Sister Rita has a way of getting what she wants

and she's one of them people that it's very difficult to say no to.

Do you want me to put this in your car, then?

Yes, please. Thank you very much.

-Is it heavy?

-No, it's fine. Don't you worry.

Strong man.

If she wants something and she comes to you and says, "Can you help?"

You know, God help the person that says no to her.

-You be in touch.

-Yeah, I'll see you soon.

-Don't just forget me now.

-I won't.

I'll never forget you. Don't worry. See you later.

Back at the Lalley, having decided the kit she's been given

can't really be used for fundraising because it's from last season,

Sister Rita and her deputy Max waste no time in making sure

the centre's visitors can benefit from City's donations right away.

-Hello, sir. How are you?

-Hello, Sister. I'm fine, thank you.

And you?

They're soon calling people into Sister Rita's office to

pass on coats that the club has also supplied.

We know that you are a Manchester City fan.

We have this jacket for you.

-Oh, thank you very much.

-OK.

-Manchester City.

-Keep you warm in the winter.

In the winter, yeah.

Oh. Don't you look posh?!

I'm just surprised, you know, so, about to get this coat.

So I'm really happy, pretty happy about.

I'm over the moon about the coat. It's a surprise to me.

I didn't even know I was getting a coat.

I just got shouted in and they just give me a coat.

Made my day. Made me happy.

The Lalley Centre, I think, these people are helping to everyone,

so, if you feel if you are struggling in your life,

or something, then they going to help and they are willing to help.

Our winters are quite severe and a lot of people here wouldn't be

able to buy a jacket of that quality.

It makes people very happy.

Free coats and shirts aren't the only positive impact

the Lalley's making on people's lives.

-Thank you once again.

-OK. Thank you.

Kath has also had a result with the support

she was hoping to provide for high-rise resident, Mariam.

Is there anything else that I can help with today?

Mariam's benefits only cover the basics.

She's relied on friends to do her washing and

she doesn't have a fridge.

-You all good?

-Yeah.

But now, all that's about to change

Hello.

Hi. We've come to deliver your washing machine and fridge.

Oh, thank you very much.

The Lalley Centre has used some of the money it's raised to buy

the white goods Mariam badly needs.

It's very nice.

I was told I was getting a washing machine

and the fridge is a surprise.

Kath and Sister Rita are calling round to see just what

a difference the appliances will make.

-Hello, Mariam.

-Hello.

-How are you?

How are you?

Mariam, we've brought you a little gift here

and it's some washing powder and some softener for the clothes.

-Wow. Thank you very much.

-To go with your new washer.

-Yeah. That's right.

-Thank you. That will be a bonus.

Thank you very much.

I'd say that the washing machine makes a difference to you.

It must have been very difficult for you before you got it.

Yes. I don't have to rely on anybody anymore.

I'm glad that we were able to help her with some of those vital

items that she needed.

She's obviously got health problems that are long term.

And the other thing is, you know, we don't normally give a fridge

and a washing machine, but we felt she was a special case, really.

Mariam first visited the Lalley for help claiming a vital

benefit for those with severe health problems.

And though there's still no news on whether she'll be granted it,

Sister Rita wants Mariam to know that whatever the outcome

now she knows where the centre is, she can rely on the team's support.

-There is no guarantee that this is going to happen, is there?

-No.

So, if you definitely cannot move this forward, well, I'm sure

-we could try again to do something else for Mariam.

-Yeah.

So don't be thinking it's the end of the world.

There's always so much more you wish you could do for people like this.

But hopefully the little bits that we've done now,

she knows we're there, so it's a place of support for her in future.

And Sister Rita's delighted that the help they've been able to

give Mariam means her bid to encourage even more local

people to visit the Lalley Centre has started to pay off.

When we came here, Mariam, to talk to the residents,

we didn't have anyone turning up except yourself.

I didn't mind because certainly it's done something for you.

You told me that somebody would be able to help me.

-I thought, OK, I'm going to come and see and I'm glad I did.

-Good.

That was the reason we came in the first place, to see, could

we reach out to anyone that needed help?

So, I think that it was well worth our while coming here.

-Definitely.

-We're very happy to meet you, Mariam.

I'm hoping that we will see you very soon again.

Whether it's helping with washing machines, wardrobes or

supplies at the foodbank, Sister Rita is proud of everything

her team of volunteers achieves.

We make some little difference. We can't change it all.

We might be able to do it over a period of months,

but we can't change it all.

She'd like to cap her 50th year as a nun by helping even

more of the local community.

But not only that, she wants to change lives on a wider scale

and bring about real tangible improvement to those who need

it most.

So, she's got a plan and she's taking it right to the very top.

I remember thinking, "Is there anything I could do,

"just to make it a tiny bit better?"

Now, I'm not feared of anyone.

So, I wrote to the Prime Minister to say,

"This is how it is for people who are desperate."

As her mission continues, Sister Rita means business.

They don't call me Attila The Nun for nothing!

But as she heads to Westminster to put her plan into action...

There is dire, dire poverty in Collyhurst.

Our task today is to try and get this across to the Minister.

She didn't count on the results becoming headline news.

The media are flocking around right now. I have said nothing!