A BLOG created for Bolton at Home’s Ucan centre in Breightmet has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.

The As Rare as Rubies site, which was launched in September last year, is up for a Best City and Neighbourhood Blog at the Blog North Awards, which aims to celebrate the best of independent publishing in the region.

The blog, which is edited by blogger Len Grant, documents the work that the centre, in New Lane, does for the people in the neighbourhood, such as employment support, opportunities to train and gain qualifications, money and debt advice, and the offer to use its computer facilities.

Stories from the centre’s customers are also shared on the site, such as that of the centre’s “poster girl” Kellyann Kay, which The Bolton News covered in July.

The mum-of-two, also of New Lane, went from battling post-natal depression to running her own knitting group at the centre while passing her university exams.

She said: “The centre has done a lot for me and they were proud of what I’d done so I said I would contribute in any way I could.

“I am really pleased at how far it has come. It’s nice to read it at any time, even when the centre is shut. The impact it has had on so many lives is massive.”

Another story comes from Dave Fryer, aged 61, a recovering alcoholic who runs the Discovery Group, a weekly support session for substance misusers, and who also carries out voluntary work for Bidas (Bolton Integrated Drugs and Alcohol Service).

He said: “Since doing the blog and the voluntary work my confidence has gone up. That erodes when you are alcohol-dependent. It takes a long time for the feel good factor to come back into your life after you come off drink, so it’s nice that some of that has come back.”

Centre manager Vanessa Hamnett said: “We are thrilled it has been shortlisted, although it wasn’t too much of a surprise because we are lucky to have an award winning writer working on it.

“The blog is a great platform for us and the fact that it is accessible means that we can connect with a completely different audience.”

To vote for the blog, visit blognorthawards.com.

Voting closes tonight.

As Rare as Rubies — an extract

IN his tiny kitchen Lee is putting away the contents of two plastic bags.

This is all he will eat for the next week, until he can make another visit to the food bank.

It’s mostly tins: oxtail soup, kidney beans, sweetcorn, ravioli, baked beans, tuna.

There’s a couple of packets of biscuits and some out-of-date trifle sponge fingers; a box of chocolate-flavoured breakfast cereal, a litre of orange juice and a packet of pasta.

Fresh items are limited to whatever has been donated to the food bank that week, so Lee unpacks of a packet of trimmed runner beans, three sunflower-seeded wholemeal rolls, and a red and a green chilli.

“Surely that won’t be enough,” I say, trying to imagine how these foodstuffs might be combined to make at least one meal a day for the next week. “Will you go hungry before next Monday?”

Lee nods.

“And what about the cereal? Have you got any milk to go with it?”

Lee opens his fridge, pulling out a half-empty litre carton. “Sometimes you get long life milk but I’ve got this.”

“And what happens when that’s finished?” I ask.

He digs deep into one of his jeans pockets. “I’ve got £1.50 to buy some more,” he says. “And that’s it.”