The Oval Centre offers a range of facilities and projects for the local community including a welcoming Warm Spot, Fit 4 Life Gym, and regular schedule of activities. It is also available for hire as conference facility and is home to Riverside’s local housing teams.

Mr MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven and Workington, attended the Oval monthly Food Pantry, which provides affordable food to local residents who are struggling with the cost of living. Mr MacAlister spoke to the team of volunteers about how the Pantry works and what the level of need is. On average around 40-50 people use the pantry each month with no referral needed. The pantry asks for a small donation if possible.

It is a collaboration set up with funding from the Riverside Foundation and Cumberland Council and is run by Derwent Workington Rotary Club with assistance from STAR (Salterbeck Tenants and Residents).

Mr MacAlister also visited the Oval Paint Pot and Up-cycling Centre, which was awarded £2,847 by the Riverside Sustainability Fund to enable the project to launch in 2024.

The Oval Paint Pot and Up-cycling Centre receive donations of unwanted paint from the general public or local decorating stores and resell it at low cost to stop the waste paint going into landfill. Lead volunteer and Riverside resident Pat “Patch” Kendall explained to him that an estimated 55 million litres of paint is sent to landfill each year.

The Paint Pot is part of the national Community Repaint Network and has helped over 70 customers locally with low-cost paint as well as community projects and a local school. The project also takes donations of unwanted wooden furniture to up-cycle then pass onto the community at low or no cost.

Josh MacAlister said: “The Oval Centre is a vital community hub for the people of Salterbeck, providing a range of really important services and activities as well as a place for people to come together.

“It was great to visit again to meet the team and see more of their work. The Paint Pot is such a fantastic initiative and the volunteers from the community and Rotary who run the Food Pantry do an amazing job supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the community.

“Thanks to Riverside for their work to support the centre and for inviting me to visit. I look forward to continuing to support their work.”

Andrea Thorn, Interim Executive Director of Customer Services at Riverside, said: “It was a pleasure to show Josh the range of services that the Oval Centre offers to the community. From the pantry to our Warm Spot and Paint Pot, the volunteers and staff here deliver inspiring services for local residents.

“We’re committed to our communities and neighbourhoods and the funding from the Riverside Foundation allows us to provide practical support for people in our communities to overcome the obstacles to a better quality of life. The Foundation invests £2.5 million each year into a diverse range of projects aimed at promoting community action and cohesion.”

To find out more about the facilities and services available to you at The Oval Centre, contact Riverside at [email protected]