On the night of the Manchester football derby, nearly 400 supporters of local welfare organisation The Fed gathered at a cricketing venue, Lancashire CCC’s The Point, for a dinner celebrating the charity’s 150th birthday.

Welcoming guests, Mark Adlestone, The Fed’s chair, joked that the Premier League had neglected to consult the Manchester communal diary.

More importantly, he stressed the charity’s role in supporting “our most vulnerable, many of whom have no one to fight their corner”. Its immediate concern was to raise the £1.75 million needed to plug the gap in its operating budget. “Our community cannot take The Fed for granted,” he warned.

Treasurer Bernie Yaffe said it boded well that many donors had increased their annual pledges — “clearly they were moved by our appeal film. But we still have a way to go towards achieving our target and are now in the process of contacting numerous loyal supporters who were not able to be present at the dinner.”

Mark Cunningham — who last month succeeded Karen Phillips as CEO — recalled that when he first encountered the charity on a work placement in 1995, he was “shocked by the levels of poverty and the difficulties affecting so many people. Disability, hardship, loneliness, mental health problems. And families struggling to cope. Yet here was a voluntary organisation, supported and largely funded by the community, making a huge difference to people’s lives. For me, this was unique.”

He highlighted the challenge of meeting the diverse demands on its services at a time of decreasing statutory support.

Ms Phillips spoke emotionally about standing down as CEO. “The people you work with are like your family.” Her link with The Fed will continue in an ambassadorial role.
Radio 4 presenter Paddy O’Connell hosted the evening.