Yahoo News 'Without this place we would be lost - they've taken everything away from us'
Among the terraced houses of Gorton, it is clear that community spaces have a strong gravitational pull for residents.
Community building, support and care for Gorton’s most vulnerable is a big concern for most despite there being a lack of spaces.
“People are struggling, people are having to do bits and bobs to get the children fed. There’s no one left at the charity places, especially in Gorton, you’ve got the hub and you’ve got a food bank.
“The children are in need. There are no youth clubs, no centres," Jeannette Wilson, 55, told the M.E.N.
READ MORE: Residents sick of empty promises on streets where some don't even know who Rishi Sunak is
"There's people both rich and poor struggling now. I've been brought up by a poor family and when we were younger we'd sleep with coats on top of us in bed. Communities work better if you're helping other people," she said.
Andrea, 55, shared similar concerns: “The main concern is everything to do with the kids and grandkids and their future and what it's going to hold for them. The reason why I won't vote is we don't seem to be getting anywhere. We don't seem to be getting anywhere all that seems to be going up is houses. What are we voting for?"
She added: "Foodbanks have gone down and the cost of living is high. We've got a market and they're trying to take that and when that's gone we've got nothing - they've just got houses going up constantly and they want more. Why? I'm stuck in a one-bedroom flat so who gets them?
"We don't get these new houses - I remember them being built when I was homeless and we were told you can't have them 'they're not for us'. That's why there's so many homeless on the streets. "
Talking about the community hub, Andrea said: "If we didn't have this place we would be lost. It gets us out and about because there's nowhere else to go they've shut everything down. They've taken everything away from us."
When asked about what locals think of Rishi Sunak some said he doesn't seem 'competent' to the job.
Liam, 26, said: "He doesn't seem competent. He doesn't seem like he knows what he's going for a comedic approach that seems empty-handed. It's strange. He shouldn't have been Prime Minister anyway he wasn't elected - he's more of a stand in that's stayed in a bit too long so we probably have gotten a general election ages ago."
Talking about Labour Leader Keir Starmer, Alan Hopkinson said: "I think with the problem is he doesn't gel with people. I think he has good intentions and wants to do good for the country but like me a lot of people don't connect with him or feel he understands anything or anybody.
"It seems like he's making it up as he goes along without a well thought out plan. He doesn't seem to know what people want."
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