Our History

In November 2004, a group of volunteers from different churches came together to serve a  weekly free meal to those who needed it. This was funded by charitable giving and supported by Lancaster Free Methodist Church (now renamed Hope Church). From November 2004 to March 2008 over 2,300 free meals were served to approximately 20 to 30 guests each week. It was a challenging time and, in many ways a ‘baptism of fire’ but the foundational principles were laid: the importance of listening and prayer, building relationships, providing hospitality (for it is ‘more than a cup of tea’) and personal testimony of Jesus. Our aim was to serve with integrity and honour our guests, many of whom were struggling with the issues of addiction, homelessness, broken relationships and rejection, and poor mental and physical health.

Recognising that much more was needed, The Olive Branch became a registered charity in September 2006. Charitable status enabled access to funding, enhanced our credibility and prepared for future growth.

Our vision was expanding. There was insufficient time at the weekly shared meal to befriend and offer further help to our guests. So, in 2007, the decision was taken to raise sufficient funds to open a support centre. The cost of the first year of operation was estimated at £12,000. Various premises were considered and in the spring of 2008 the target had been reached. Negotiations to rent 22 Thurnham Street were begun and our first support centre was ready for opening in December 2008. A referral-based food bank service was established, responding to the needs of our guests, and a Project Manager recruited. (A step of faith as we only had sufficient funds to cover 2 month’s salary).

In August 2011, we signed a 3 year tenancy agreement and moved into 1 Westbourne Road. The demand for our services continued to rise and an Assistant Project Manager was recruited in spring 2018. With growing need in our community and more people seeking our help, we started to outgrow the physical limitations of our premises. In 2020, the UK was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our drop-in centre had to temporarily close whilst the nation was under ‘lockdown’ but as a critical service, we moved to delivering food parcels to people in need in the community. It was during this time that The Olive Branch was able to make use of a warehouse unit on Lansil Way to store food for its foodbank service, whilst Westbourne Road continued to be used for The Olive Branch’s drop-in service once Covid-19 restrictions eased. The search for premises which could accommodate both functions began… 

2021 was an important year for The Olive Branch, which was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, an honour that was gratefully and proudly received. In the summer of 2021, a new ‘Back to School’ initiative was launched, providing families referred to our food bank service with essential school uniform, PE kits and stationery. This was a huge success, benefitting 30 children in this first year of running the initiative, with more children reached in the following year. 

In 2023, the search for larger premises which would support both a food bank and drop-in service ‘under one roof’ came to fruition and The Olive Branch moved out of Westbourne Road and Lansil Way, into units on White Cross Business Park. After a period of transition and engineering of new operations, our drop-in service was re-established in September 2023, with guests able to collect food parcels from our centre on White Cross. Little did the team know that this move would be temporary, with an alternative unit becoming available in the Spring of 2024. In May 2024, we moved across to Harpers Mill, which offered space and facilities that seemed to answer so many prayers – from storerooms and a spacious guest room all on one floor, through to a small ‘prayer room’, office space, and even a garden area. With this move, doors have opened to host more guests, partner with more organisations and charities, and expand our services to those in need in our community. 

It has been a challenging journey ‘walking by faith and not by sight’ but God has given amazing promises along the way. We did not ‘despise the day of small beginnings’ and have seen overflowing provision. We are excited to see where and what is the next step of our journey and how it will enable us to better help our guests. God has a big vision, and we want to continue partnering with Him in response to the Isaiah 61 vision ‘to proclaim the good news to the prisoners and set the captives free’.