Episode 3 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...

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 comes up with an ambitious new plan

to bring residents together.

They don't think they need to come out of their homes

to meet with other people and that's it.

We have to break that down.

And the sister's 50 years as a nun are marked with a journey

back to where it all began in Ireland

and some typical straight talking.

When Almighty God made Adam,

he made all his mistakes

and then he made Eve

and she was perfect.

CHEERING

It's Wednesday morning at the Lalley Centre.

Good morning, everybody.

And Sister Rita is wasting no time getting her message to the people.

Fill in that form, get a job,

get up and get out to work.

Along with her team of trusted volunteers,

Sister Rita runs a foodbank and drop-in centre...

Max tells me somebody's stealing soap from the toilet.

Who is it?

..offering solutions to money and benefit problems

to residents of one of the most deprived parts of Manchester.

You're terribly noisy today. You're worse than the kids.

When you shut up, I'll talk.

At the Lalley, she's created an environment

where people can get the help and advice they need

but also some much-needed contact with others.

-Did you hear what I just said?

-Yes!

Thank you. I am deaf.

The sister's ambition knows no bounds

and, as a result, things have taken an unexpected turn.

Her bold protestation to the Government

resulted in an invitation to Westminster

where she's had a meeting with the Minister for Work and Pensions,

Iain Duncan Smith.

I'm hoping that, by the time we've said our bit,

he will be initiated into making some kind of response.

To even the sister's amazement,

her visit led to the government immediately launching a pilot scheme

at the Lalley, sending officials to the site each week

to provide on-the-spot advice and help on money and benefit issues.

If successful,

the new initiative will be rolled out across the country.

So don't be coming in telling me you're struggling like mad

because you have to pay the bedroom tax and you can't cope

and you're sanctioned when we've got somebody here

on a Thursday afternoon

that is ready and willing to help you.

Never one to rest on her laurels, Sister Rita has another plan.

This one's closer to home.

She wants to reach out

to the often forgotten members of her neighbourhood,

aware that, like every community across the UK,

there are people suffering from loneliness and isolation.

She wants to offer them a hand of friendship.

Loneliness can kind of paralyse the person.

It paralyses them because their ability to think

is affected.

Their ability to do is affected.

Their ability to make relationships is affected.

Although you can feel isolated at any age,

according to Age UK, around a million people in Britain over the age of 65

haven't spoken to another person for a month.

Elderly people, who do they have?

They can't have their family, they're all out working.

And they have a little clique of friends,

then their friends start dying.

That's what happens.

They don't really know how to make new friends.

That's something Sister Rita knows she can try and put right.

She's setting up a friendship group at the Lalley.

The idea is that residents of Collyhurst aged over 50

will now have a weekly place

where they can find others from the area to talk to.

I think friendship groups are a place where relationships are made,

moulded and deepened,

and so people come in, they're very lonely

and they're connecting in with one or two around the table.

Today is the launch of the friendship group.

The first through the door is 66-year-old Ann Meeham.

She hasn't got out much since her husband died two years ago

so Sister Rita's new idea immediately appealed to her.

I live on my own.

I haven't been out on my own for a long time.

Just thought I'd try it out for one day and see how I like it.

But it quickly becomes clear

that, if Sister Rita's latest ambition is going to succeed,

she'll need to find new ways of encouraging people to come along

because, at this first meeting, beside Ann,

just one more person turns up.

The only others in the room are Lalley volunteer Muriel

and Sister Rita herself.

I think apathy is like a big umbrella, you know,

and it covers a huge variety of things,

like you don't bother too much about the area you live in,

you don't bother either about the people maybe who live next door

or your relationships.

It can impinge on all those things.

The lack of numbers doesn't faze Sister Rita.

She remembers how few people initially came to the Lalley Centre

when it first opened its doors seven years ago.

-Do you know who came in the first day?

-Who?

Nobody.

This is Collyhurst.

-Right.

-They take a very long time to do anything.

Research has shown that loneliness is exacerbated

in areas gripped by poverty

and that older people are particularly at risk

from social isolation.

All of which explains why Sister Rita

is so determined to convince the residents of Collyhurst

that the friendship group is worth their time.

They don't think they need to come out of their homes

to meet with other people and that's it.

We have to break that down.

The other person who has come along is Mariama Diabate,

who's hoping that joining the group

will help her to meet new people in the area.

Don't think, "This is rubbish, I'm wasting my time."

Give it a bit of time.

You will meet lovely people in here

because lovely people come in.

Despite today's turnout,

Sister Rita is characteristically undeterred.

I'm not disappointed or anything.

I know this is what's going to happen.

Take time but we'll do it.

Sister Rita's keen to see what activities might encourage

Ann to come back regularly.

Well, I thought you were doing something about computers,

that's why I come down.

-Computers?

-Yeah.

There's a good idea.

Showing, learning how to use computers.

Well, well, well.

-Even me?

-Do you know how to use computers?

-No.

No, I don't, either.

So we can do that, yeah.

Eh, now we're getting places. What else do you want to do,

do you want to learn to tap-dance?

Oh, no, thanks!

Many libraries and community centres across the UK offer computer and

internet courses as a proven way of reducing loneliness and isolation.

It's a suggestion Sister Rita's delighted with.

You know, when she said that today I could have kissed her.

I thought, "This is brilliant," because if you're able to

be on the internet, you can be more connected to the world around you.

I'm not good at it, you know,

only I'm different to them, I don't want to be good at it.

You and I, love, if it's only you and I,

-we'll have a good chat next week.

-Yeah.

And we'll wait for the next week when you'll be able to come.

To make the friendship group the success she's confident

it can be, Sister Rita knows she needs to get the word out to

all the residents in the area.

So she starts hatching a plan for how she can target the high-rises

nearby, where there are plenty of people on their own.

What we need really is to get them from the big tower blocks

and to come out and meet one another. When we get this up,

we WILL get it up, I think a lot of other things will flow from it.

In the meantime,

not everyone who comes to the Lalley is looking for friendship.

Many of those who call in to see Sister Rita do

so because the questions, paperwork

and processes of the benefits system can often seem baffling.

Beatrice Bona suffers from severe arthritis

and has previously been declared unfit to work by her doctor.

She's upset and confused as to why the Department for Work and Pensions

has now sent her a letter telling her that she's

going to lose her Employment Support Allowance,

and be moved back on to Jobseeker's Allowance instead.

Beatrice is desperate for help

but she's come to the right person to sort it all out.

I am a great advocate for people to get up and get out to work.

I don't believe in being, you know, sitting around

and claiming benefits.

She's different.

She's different. This woman is ill, she's disabled.

Beatrice also struggles with her English,

creating an extra layer of difficulty with the forms

that are part and parcel of claiming benefits.

But Sister Rita should have a quick way of getting to the

bottom of what's gone on in this particular case.

Since her meeting with Iain Duncan Smith,

the government minister responsible for benefits, she's been

given a unique direct phone line to his department.

Sister Rita hopes that means she'll avoid the wait you might get

calling the general number and provide a faster

explanation as to why Beatrice has had her benefits changed.

It's that they don't want to give her at all what she's getting

right now.

But her government hotline has gone distinctly cold.

With no answer, and Beatrice becoming increasingly agitated,

Sister Rita tries the public number instead, where she waits...

CLASSICAL "HOLD" MUSIC

Love it. We love it, listening to this.

..and waits.

-AUTOMATED VOICE:

-Please hold and your call will be answered as soon as possible.

Beatrice has already been signed off from work for 16 months.

But as this period is about to end, Sister Rita wants to know

if she's been back to her doctor to be reassessed.

-Have you been back to the doctor?

-Yes.

-Did he give you a letter?

-Yes.

Sister Rita's convinced the issue could be down to the DWP not

having received the latest doctor's letter confirming Beatrice

remains unfit to work.

And when the call is finally answered,

she hopes her hunch will prove correct.

They have sent her a letter, right,

the letter is saying they won't give her what she was on before.

Now, I'm a social worker. Anyone who would expect this woman

to work, well, quite frankly, they haven't a clue about human nature, have they?

Beatrice.

Sister.

When we've finished this, I'm going to phone the doctor

and I'm going to tell the doctor we want an update letter that

he'll fax to me, and you will take it this afternoon to the Job Centre.

But even the formidable Sister Rita can't avoid being passed on to

another department.

And I know that they're under pressure, I do understand that

but, you know, they don't see the person at the other side, do they?

The person she finally speaks to can only confirm what

she already knows,

that Beatrice is now deemed fit to work.

Let me try this number again. DWP gave us a special number,

so we wouldn't have to go through all this carry-on

when somebody is in a state, like Beatrice is.

-AUTOMATED VOICE:

-This is the Vodafone voicemail service...

Go away.

With still no answer on the direct line, she leaves a message.

And then targets the GP.

But it's a similar story calling the doctor.

-AUTOMATED MESSAGE:

-Please hold, your call will be answered shortly.

Oh, not our day, is it, Beatrice, eh?

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

Though this whole process is a reminder of how unwieldy

the system can sometimes be, Sister Rita's efforts have at least

spared Beatrice the time and cost of calling the DWP herself.

I have no concerns about the fact I won't be able to pay

the phone line. They have, when they're ringing.

They can't afford to ring, most of them, and she doesn't

understand all the questions they ask her. It's not that she

doesn't want to answer them, but she doesn't understand them.

At last, Sister Rita speaks to Beatrice's doctor who

confirms that Beatrice is unfit for work

and will send Sister Rita

a letter that she can pass on to the Job Centre later that afternoon.

So, right now, what Beatrice needs to know is that her benefits will

continue, and of course they'll continue, she's on a sick note.

Sister Rita's special contact at the DWP soon calls back too.

I just know, I know with a certainty that this woman will not be

able to work.

As Sister Rita had expected,

it's confirmed that Beatrice needs to go back to the Job Centre

with the updated doctor's letter for her reassessment.

With this letter it'll be sorted out and she'll be happier, that's

really what I want. The direct line will be very good in the future,

I'm positive it will be, but it didn't work out for me today.

With the doctor's letter they needed,

Sister Rita's leaving nothing to chance, and to make sure all

is resolved, she takes Beatrice to the Job Centre appointment herself.

I've given you a letter to give to the manager. That belongs to you.

I'll put it in here for you.

Right, all this is yours. Look at me. Everything is going to be fine.

OK?

Beatrice, you did bring the brown envelope, didn't you?

Yes, you gave me.

All the best. Look after yourself.

All right.

Sister Rita's support has led Beatrice to the answers she needed.

Helping people navigate their way through a system that can

seem unfathomable is a key part of the work of drop-in

centres like the Lalley.

Have we not got proper, real envelopes? They're rubbish.

One of the key ways she wants to bring the community together

is through her friendship group.

In recent years, the number of people living in the UK who

describe themselves as lonely has rocketed.

So, to tackle that, Sister Rita is organising weekly

sessions for local residents to come and meet new faces.

But she's not remotely put off by the fact that the first week,

only two people turned up.

Now we have started it, but we knew, didn't we?

We knew this wasn't going to happen in a day.

Rome wasn't built in a day, remember.

The sister's come up with a plan to make sure she gets the message

out to those living in the nearby tower blocks,

a part of Collyhurst that, so far, has proved resistant

to even her formidable charms.

And she's got a man on the inside she hopes can help.

Don't tell me he's not in.

'Hello.'

John, how are you?

Thank you.

A regular at the Lalley Centre, John Compton has had some

challenging times.

He was living on the streets before Sister Rita took him under her wing.

Since then, he's found the support

and services provided by the nun and her team an enormous

help in overcoming the loneliness he's experienced first hand.

Everybody needs friends, and all my friends that

I moved round here with have gone, dead or moved out.

You know, I've been here on my own, and to be quite honest

I've felt really lonely in this area since they've all been gone.

I think if it wasn't for people like Sister Rita

and the people there, where would I be?

Because he's had such a positive experience of how

places like the Lalley can make a difference, Sister Rita,

along with volunteer Muriel, has come to visit John at his flat,

to see if he's prepared to help drum up interest in the friendship group.

He's very tuned in to the area, isn't he?

He knows a lot, he has his eyes and ears open.

Like other parts of the UK affected by poverty, here in Collyhurst,

it can be hard to persuade people that there's someone prepared

to help, or even simply listen.

So, convincing people the weekly gathering

really will be in their best interests is a major hurdle.

The problem we have here is the apathy that goes around Collyhurst

now, why we're starting the friendship group

is to try to break that down.

As a nun, Sister Rita recognises that not every resident will

welcome her intentions.

I'm kind of an alien being to the people here, but we're

talking about everybody who lives in the flats. So, in order

for that to be broken down, to begin with you need two people

who'll be willing to push a thing in and try and say,

"Can we talk to you?"

I don't mind chapping on people's doors and just saying,

"I'm representing the Collyhurst community,

"we've got a community get-together on a Monday."

So many people are so lonely around this area and we're trying

to, you know, just help them to take the first step.

John's first suggestion is to broaden the age of the friendship group,

so it's open to people over 40, rather than 50 as it is now.

Because I know what it's been like. I've lived here 16 years

with my mental health and depression,

didn't have anywhere half the time to go, so I've stayed in here.

Were you there when these young women were saying, "Why can't

"you start it at 40 or 30, instead of 50?"

Now that's your idea, where they said, "We want to be there as well."

If you remember, I said to you 40-plus at first.

40's fine, we're happy with it.

John's delighted to be able to give something back to a place

that's helped him so much.

And a date is arranged for him to begin leafleting the area.

You don't have to be stuck in your flats, depressed

and lonely on your own, there's people out there.

Getting the friendship group off the ground is

important to Sister Rita

because she has a deep-rooted belief in the importance of community.

Though she's spent most of her adult life in Manchester, she's

never forgotten the people and places in her native Ireland.

And she's still a Cork girl at heart.

I suppose I would say that Manchester is like my mother...

..whereas Ireland is like my husband. I know I haven't got one

but it's a bit like that kind of relationship, really.

Every year she makes an annual trip back home.

But the visit she's making now has an added significance.

It marks her 50th year as a nun.

And her family and friends aren't going to let the moment pass

without a celebration or two - including an official ceremony,

to be attended by the Lord Mayor.

The trip's not just a break from her work in Collyhurst,

it's a rare chance to catch up with her four sisters.

No matter where you go, you know,

and no matter how successful your life is, there's always

a part of you that wants to go back to where you came from.

Half a century after she first left, it feels good to be back.

It would be unthinkable of me not to come back to Cork.

I've come from a good place.

The value of Sister Rita's work is recognised as much in Cork

as it is in Collyhurst.

So first stop is the City Hall, for an official reception.

# Welcome, come on in... #

The Lord Mayor of Cork is due to begin the ceremony.

But he's nowhere to be seen.

And Sister Rita doesn't like to wait for anyone.

Can I just tell you... Where's Patrick?

The Lord Mayor is late.

You don't keep us late.

I want to go home now. Do you?

The Lord Mayor finally arrives,

to congratulate the nun on her 50-year milestone.

It's a huge honour for me

to have this opportunity to do that as the first citizen

to someone like yourself. To mark it is a lovely thing.

Yeah, but thank you very much.

And I think that's the important thing.

To mark the occasion, Sister Rita is invited to give a speech.

Women are extraordinary beings, truly they are.

-I'm not saying I don't love men.

-LAUGHTER

But, you see, when Almighty God made Adam,

he made all his mistakes with Adam.

LAUGHTER

And then he made Eve, and she was perfect.

WHOOPING

It's a bit overwhelming, actually,

to see so many people here today.

It's, erm... It's very emotional.

Sister Rita left home at just 17 to join the convent.

Her sister Norma remembers how little they saw of her.

It was very sad for all of us, because she was young,

and I was very young, but we were able to go and see her...

..not very often,

and she was only allowed home every three years,

and that was very hard,

but that's the way convent life was back then.

With the formal ceremony over, the celebrations move to a nearby pub.

THEY SING

Already they'll be saying I'm drunk, and I don't drink at all.

Goodness only knows what they'd be saying if I did drink.

SINGING CONTINUES

The celebrations are in full swing, but, slightly taken aback

by all the fuss, Sister Rita soon finds a moment to slip away.

Phew!

What a day, yeah, what a day.

It was phenomenal, really.

Very, very enjoyable.

Very enjoyable.

It's my time to go now.

Yeah, it's my time to go.

Back in Collyhurst,

the Lalley is open as usual for anyone who needs its help.

And one person the Sister and her team have been particularly

keen to find solutions for is Julie Keeling.

She's a frequent user of the foodbank.

But over the last few months it's not just practical support

she's had from Sister Rita, it's emotional too.

She was just brilliant.

I mean, I was sat here for about 20 minutes crying me eyes out

and she put me at ease

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

For 23 years, Julie has struggled with alcohol.

In that time she's brought up two children

and battled depression.

Was about three years ago I had quite a major breakdown...

..and, erm...

..the drink got hold of me.

I had to...leave my house, my home.

My kids.

It's Julie's addiction that Sister Rita particularly wants to tackle.

But she knows key to that will be encouraging Julie

to take more responsibility too.

It's certainly harder to help people with addictions, yeah.

Erm, sometimes you think...

.."Should I even try?"

And that's a temptation that you have to get rid of very quickly,

because you have to try.

Number ten, Julie.

-See you tomorrow, love.

-See you.

With the help of Sister Rita and her team,

Julie says she's now starting to turn her life around.

She's following advice from doctors and gradually cutting back

on alcohol, in the hope that she'll be able to give it up completely.

Lalley social worker Lorraine has been paying particularly

close attention to Julie's progress.

She's very, very vulnerable, Julie.

Really vulnerable.

I don't judge her, on her life or things that have happened, because,

you know, she's probably...

there's probably a lot more to Julie than we'll ever know.

Julie's come today for help with her finances.

She's been behind with some of her bills,

but, thinking she'd got on top of that, she's confused by some

extra money she's paying her landlord each month.

She's hoping Lorraine can get to the bottom of what's going on.

Hello, Julie, how are you?

-Not so bad.

-Good.

I've brought all my paperwork...

Julie's monthly rent is close to £500, with most of that

covered by her housing benefit.

But there's a shortfall of £58,

and Julie pays that top-up direct to the landlord.

Over the last few months she's been paying him

an extra £17 as well, and she isn't sure why.

It doesn't add up.

I tried to add it up and it just doesn't seem right.

Because I think this...

There's a difference of £17 there and I don't know why.

Julie's worried her landlord may be overcharging her.

But when Lorraine calls him there's a much simpler explanation.

It seems Julie had missed some of those top-up payments,

so the additional money is helping her catch up.

'The rent is £115.37 a week.'

Right. OK.

'So £115.37 minus £101.98

'means the shortfall is £13.39 a week,

'but of course she hasn't been paying it all the way through

'so there's arrears accrued.

'The total arrears are £211.54.'

-£211.54.

-'Yeah.'

Is it possible you could send a rent statement out to Julie

so that we can... I can help her budget?

'Yeah, I'll do that this afternoon, no problem.

'Does Julie not know all this? She paid nothing in January,

'she paid nothing in February,

'she paid nothing in March, that's the reason why.'

-All right, thank you very much, Peter.

-'Is Julie there?'

-Oh, she's there.

-Hello, Peter.

'Hello, Julie, you all right?

-'Well, between us, we'll sort you out. All right?'

-Oh, thank you.

'Cheers, Julie, thank you. Bye.'

Thank you.

The mystery charge is

because Julie's landlord has spread what she owes throughout the year.

But Lorraine's keen to make sure everything is clear.

So that was a bit of a shock to you, to find out your arrears were £211.

Especially since I've been paying £80 a month,

£80 every four weeks.

But then the weeks that you're not paying

sets it all back again, doesn't it?

And the weeks you're not paying the top-up adds onto your arrears.

'Trying to keep on top of things

'when your mental health's on a decline,'

it's really difficult.

Things like this aren't your priority,

and, you know, you lose sense of time,

you know, you lose the ability to budget properly.

Helping people manage their finances

is a key service that neighbourhood centres like the Lalley,

or Citizens Advice, can provide.

But it's clear to Lorraine that Julie needs assistance

working out a budget she can stick to.

She's hoping that when Sister Rita gets back the pair of them

will be able to work out a strategy to help Julie get back on her feet.

£17, it doesn't seem much to some people,

but...at the end of the day it is a lot of money.

Back in Cork, having enjoyed her reception with the Lord Mayor

earlier in the week, Sister Rita is bracing herself for

another round of celebrations marking her 50 years as a nun.

Wow, look at that.

I remember that photograph.

This time, it's a party friends and family have thrown in her honour.

I can't believe it. I don't know where she got them from.

Honest, half of these I haven't seen.

With the celebrations under way,

Sister Rita takes to the stage to get things going.

So, let's have it.

MUSIC STARTS

Do it again.

MUSIC STARTS

-How about I start?

-You start.

I always say the men should follow the women.

CHEERING

-OK.

-SHE CLEARS THROAT

# When I was just a wee little lad

# Full of health and joy

# My daddy homeward came one night and he gave to me a toy... #

Commemorating the year she joined the Church reminds Sister Rita

of the values that drew her to it, and still shape her thinking today.

The most important thing in life is to have contentment.

Not money, not power.

But somehow our world is hung up on power and money,

and it never, ever brings happiness, really.

Back in Collyhurst,

Lorraine's working hard in Sister Rita's absence.

And top of her in-tray is a meeting with John Hughes, another person

who's reluctantly found himself a regular face at the Lalley.

John returned to the UK 18 months ago after the IT company

he worked for in Thailand got into financial trouble.

He's been on benefits while trying to get the skills he needs to

set up his own business, but was sanctioned after the Department for

Work and Pensions decided he wasn't doing enough to look for work.

With less money,

he says the Lalley Centre's foodbank has been a lifeline.

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

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

Simple as that.

John's been living in a small flat with virtually no furniture.

And as he does courses and training to get himself back into work,

there's one item above all that he could really do with having.

The only thing I'm without at the moment which I would like is a bed.

But, already unhappy at needing to use the foodbank,

John's been unwilling to ask for any more help.

Even though it's meant he's been sleeping on the floor.

I think it's very difficult for men to come in

and talk to a woman about what's going on in their life, actually.

I think that society has put this spin on men,

they're masculine, you know,

they're strong and, you know...

helper of everybody else around them, which is a total farce.

Back at the Lalley, Lorraine catches up with John,

and it's not long before the issue of the bed comes up.

Why haven't I asked prior to this?

I'm not... I feel I can actually do this meself.

Right, OK.

It's bad enough coming getting food, it's so embarrassing. My own requirement is now...

My...I would say a need...is a bed.

-Right. I can help you with that.

-Which...

Well, if you could that'd be great

but it's not something I actually...

I know in a couple of weeks I'll be able to sort it out meself,

-and I'm very, very conscious...

-Well, d'you know what?

You need to look at things a little bit differently.

There's times in our lives when we all need support.

Nice to meet you, John.

Lorraine's next step is to contact a local charity

that's supplied furniture to the Lalley Centre before.

He's sleeping on the floor, and I just wondered -

it's only a tiny flat apparently - whether you had a single bed?

Oh, you have. Oh, brilliant.

Oh, that'd be amazing.

Though she admires John's determination to stand

on his own two feet, for Lorraine it's vital that people understand

there's no shame in asking for help when you really need it.

Yeah, he wants to do it on his own, but what I don't want him to do

is, if he's starting his own business and things,

you don't want to start off with being in lots of debt.

He still wishes he hadn't had to ask,

but John's relieved he can now look forward to a proper night's sleep.

She said, "Right, well, if you need a bed, you'll get a bed,"

and basically one's being delivered on Friday night,

which was very, very nice, erm...

of course very, very grateful.

However much he might want to do things himself,

the whole purpose of centres like the Lalley

is to offer extra support at times when you most need it.

And that's why Sister Rita is

so keen to get her friendship club off the ground.

She wants people to know they don't need to feel isolated or alone,

and that there is a place where someone will always be

prepared to listen and help.

To boost the numbers at the upcoming meetings, the Sister has

asked local resident John Compton to spread the word.

-Morning, John.

-Hiya, you all right?

This is just to let you know that we've started

a friendship group at the Lalley Centre.

It's on a Monday, it starts from 11am till 2pm.

People just come in, sit, chat,

bingo, board games.

It's all free, there's nothing to pay at all.

That's a leaflet, we'd like to see you on Monday,

-it's between 11 and two.

-OK, brilliant.

And I look forward to seeing you there.

It's a good idea just to bring more...the community more together,

you know, get people out of their flats a bit more.

There's a lot of apathy

that needs to be broken down, I'm afraid, round here.

Many factors can contribute to feelings of loneliness -

a family bereavement, change in personal circumstances,

or friends dying or moving on.

Whatever the cause, John's hopeful his door-knocking will show

how Sister Rita's friendship group could help those affected

make new connections with people nearby.

If you ring this number even before as you're coming,

one of us can always come and meet you outside,

-and then take you round.

-That would help.

-At least I can find where I'm going.

-So that's not a problem.

No, please do come, I look forward to seeing you.

We're trying to get people out of these blocks

and into socialising with everybody.

I think it is a really good idea, because there a lot of lonely people

on the blocks, and they don't,

you know, have anybody coming and visiting them.

'I think it went very well,'

we got a lot of good positive feedback from it.

I think this group is going to start working slowly but surely.

But only the turnout at future meetings will show

if John's efforts really have made a difference.

Across the Irish Sea in Cork,

Sister Rita has come to the North Presentation covenant school,

where her journey into religious life first began.

That's the school there.

Er, behind that you have the cathedral,

and the sisters weren't allowed to go out in those days.

Looking down from her classroom, a young Sister Rita became

fascinated by the nuns who walked in the garden where she is now.

There was a kind of an awe about it.

It's difficult to express, really.

A kind of an awe that was different

to anything else that you knew in life when you were young.

Inside the convent, Sister Rita catches up with

one of the nuns who used to teach her as a young girl.

And it was all very different then,

but there were still some villains in the class, wasn't there, Gabriel?

Yeah, but they were afraid of me.

-My eye.

-You're absolutely right.

I think she's a wonderful woman, I'm very proud of her.

That I taught her.

Sister Rita had always set her heart on becoming a nun.

And after a visit from some sisters in Manchester,

she knew it was there she wanted to take her vows.

I don't remember ever wanting to do anything else.

In my head, in those days, if you went to the convent

you never went home again.

You're giving up a family, giving up somebody to love exclusively,

erm, and rearing a family and all that,

and I remember, before I made my vows,

thinking, "Do you really know what you're doing?

"This is different, it could be very difficult."

50 years on, and Sister Rita is happy not just to have

maintained her roots in Cork

but to have established such strong ones in Manchester.

She'd like everyone where she lives to feel the same sense of belonging

to a community, and to get support from that whenever it's needed.

For some, that might just mean a listening ear.

For others, like John Hughes, it's something more tangible

that will help them make a fresh start.

John's been sleeping on the floor, or on this chair.

But today the second-hand bed Lorraine arranged for him

is being delivered.

Well, it's going to be a lot more comfortable than that,

but I wasn't complaining about that, you know.

But, yeah.

Nice fleece mattress protector as well,

so it's going to be nice and warm.

Yeah, well chuffed.

And there's more good news for John, too.

His benefits have been temporarily cut

by the Department for Work and Pensions

and as a result, he's been surviving largely on a hardship loan.

But his sanction is now up,

meaning he can once again obtain his benefits.

Well, today is the first day I've actually received any benefit, where

I can go and pay me bills, hopefully not having to worry about things.

What's more, John had disputed

why he was even sanctioned in the first place.

And the decision has now been

successfully overturned at a tribunal.

John's now hoping that the skills he's been building up

from the courses and training he's been doing

will help him firm up plans for starting his own business.

I'm not exactly getting ahead of meself but I'm catching up

and, you know, hopefully it's going to get to an even keel

which will allow me to concentrate on

what I'm going to do in the future.

Back at the Lalley Centre, Sister Rita's returned from Ireland.

And it's no time at all before she's thrown herself into

what she does best - sorting out people's problems.

First on her agenda is devising a strategy to help Julie Keeling.

Julie's battling an addiction to alcohol and depression.

She's fallen behind on her rental payments

and is over £200 in debt.

What kind of things have you had to cut down on?

Well, like me water.

You know, I've been missing a few payments here and there.

Right, so what do you do about clothing?

-Erm, charity shop mostly.

-Right, OK.

Lorraine calculates that, with a weekly spend of £140,

Julie's spending around £39 more than she has coming in.

So Sister Rita wants to find a way to help her manage her budget

and take responsibility for tackling her addiction.

What we want to prevent more than anything

is you losing your property, you losing your tenancy,

so your...your rent and council tax are really, really important.

Just feels like you're robbing Peter to pay Paul all the time.

The only realistic way Julie can pay off her debt

is to reduce her alcohol intake.

Sister Rita's satisfied that, under medical supervision,

she genuinely is doing that.

So she comes up with a plan to encourage that further

and help Julie pay the bills until the debt to her landlord is repaid.

She'll put money towards Julie's gas and electric bill each month,

provided Julie continues to prove

she's cutting down on what she drinks.

I am cutting down, I've cut down drastically on me drinking

since I've had me drinks advisor.

Well done, you, because the thing is, then you could,

if we did that for you once a month,

you would then have a bit of money to pay off some more of the debt,

and you're very brave to sit there and talk about this,

because it's not easy, but the thing is, you're not on your own, love.

Some may question her tactics,

but after years as a social worker Sister Rita's confident that helping

Julie invest in her own future is the approach most likely to succeed.

She's on to a good thing here now and hopefully she will do it.

We will pay the electricity and the gas only if we see evidence

that she's doing what we asked her and what she agreed to.

Every Monday we have the Lalley friendship group

and we're going to drop the age from 50...is it to 40?

So I can come now.

LAUGHTER

It's another Monday at the Lalley Centre, and almost time

for another meeting of the newly formed friendship group.

The first time, just two people turned up.

But what a difference there is today.

There are a lot more people here today, and there's a lot of buzz

of conversation, happy conversation,

there's a lot of humour and people actually

looking and talking at one another, that's all brilliant.

This time, 13 people have come along.

And one person especially delighted with the turnout is John Compton...

Wow.

..who Sister Rita had asked to get the word out in the high-rises.

Morning.

Wow...

HE COUNTS UNDER HIS BREATH

Yes!

Can't you see this smile? I think we are starting to get there.

What's more, Mariama, who came to the first meeting, has come back

and has vowed to make the friendship group a weekly fixture in her diary.

More people in...

I feel comfortable, I enjoy.

Yeah, very happy.

I think since they've dropped the age group,

I think a lot of the younger ones do want to get involved.

It's good, because you're bridging the gap between young and old.

Well, there's more people here.

It makes it more enjoyable, you know, when there's more here and...

perhaps we can get different things going, different things doing.

Standing around watching this makes me realise that this group was

exactly what I wanted, and this is what I want for the community.

Dorothy Colwell has a particular reason for seeking out

the companionship of others.

My husband just died in February.

It's just knowing that there's somewhere...

a reason to get out of bed, and somewhere to go,

can make an awful difference.

With the friendship group's fortunes looking up, Sister Rita is

convinced the meetings will go from strength to strength, and provide

a real focal point for those in the area who feel isolated or lonely.

I'd say today is the first day I've seen a major change

in the numbers coming into the Lalley Centre.

And, while she's got plenty more ideas for how

she can bring the community together, Sister Rita is

well on her way to making her golden jubilee as a nun a year to remember.

Well, I would love if my legacy was that I was kind to people,

that I had a really good sense of humour,

and that, even with all the faults that have gone on inside me,

that I did have time to listen to them

and that maybe I was able to reach out to them in their darkest hour.

Next time, as Sister Rita continues her mission to make a difference...

the streets of Collyhurst get a makeover when she launches

an anti-littering campaign.

You did us so proud today.

And the Sister treats her band of volunteers to a trip to the seaside.

Will you shut up at the back?

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Lord, we ask you today to protect us, to help Rita to be able

to drive the van, be able to find all the controls.

We're off, people.