Stockport Independent Issue 182

NOVEMBER 2024 8 Feel the benefit of solar power, save money on your energy bills, and help tackle climate change. Scan to see if you qualify for free or discounted home upgrades. Or call Your Home Better on 0161 883 7979 CHEADLE based charity Together Trust is using sus- tainable fundrais- ing to change lives in the community. As part of ‘Sustaina- ble Fashion Week’ the organisation re-opened its pop-up shop in the Merseyway shopping centre in Stockport for a week. And as a result, it raisedmore than £2,600 to support its services for children in the care system as well as autis- tic and disabled people of all ages. The shop received hundreds of visitors throughout the week, grabbing bargains on clothes from elegant evening dresses and sequin gowns to leather jackets, children’s wear and even gym wear – with all items hav- ing been generously donated by the public and local shops. Natalie Essex, fund- raiser at Together Trust, said: “Not only were we able to give gen- erously donated clothing a newhome saving them from landfill but all the money raised goes to ensuring we continue to Fashioning fundraising with a sustainable edge Pop-up: The Together Trust store was a big hit with shoppers PLANS for the first phase of senior man- agement restructur- ing at cash-strapped Cheshire East Council have been given the green light. The local authority has described the new struc- ture as a “reset” and says it has been designed to ensure there are “suffi- cient leadership capacity and skills to respond to the council’s current and future challenges, oppor- tunities and ambitions”. The changes include positioning the statutory roles of chief financial officer and monitoring officer, who is responsi- ble for legal governance, as direct reports to the chief executive. The shakeup also includes the creation other new roles, includ- ing assistant chief exec- utive, director of digital and a number of heads of service roles, replacing a number of roles in the former corporate services directorate structure. The council says the changes “reflect recom- mendations” made in a Local Government Asso- ciation peer challenge earlier this year. Chief executive Rob Polk- inghorne said: “It is a priority of this council to ensure that we have sufficient leadership capacity and skills in the organisation, now and for the long-term. “The circumstances we are operating in, in local government in general and for Chesh- ire East Council spe- cifically, requires the council to adapt to changing and challeng- ing circumstances. “This new structure will provide stability and sustainability, support- ing clearer decision-mak- ing with clear lines of accountability for the council as we transform the organisation, deliver the children’s services improvement plan and the corporate peer chal- lenge action plan.” He added: “It is our intention to recruit to the new structure as soon as possible.” ALL CHANGE AT THE TOP support the ever-chang- ing needs of the people in our services.” “It was lovely to see some of the young people in our services attend and check out the shop too.” Throughout the year, the Together Trust sells quality second-hand items through eBay, Vinted and Depop, and organises ‘declutter and donate’ events, where members of the pub- lic can donate clothing and soft toys in vary- ing conditions. Items in saleable con- dition are given a new home and any remaining clothing and fabric is recycled in exchange for a donation by weight to the Together Trust, ensur- ing as much as possible is prevented from going to landfill.