Posted on: 12th August 2025

Staff and volunteers at the Leeds City Mission (LCM) Compassion Centre in Mistress Lane, Armley welcomed a visit by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves MP last week.

The LCM team had invited her to visit so that she could discover more about their work in the City.

Leeds City Mission is one of the oldest Christian agencies in the city and has been in continuous existence since 1837.   It is a multi-church agency and seeks to share the gospel in word and deed with Leeds residents.

Ms Reeves was given a brief tour of the LCM Compassion Centre premises and introduced to staff, volunteers and management committee members.  They explained to her how their Pantry Project foodbank is meeting the rising demand from hungry families; their shower facility for rough sleepers; its charity shop providing a range of items to enable low income residents stretch their limited budgets; work experience for people seeking to reconnect with mainstream living after experiencing difficulties in life; clothing and household items grants for destitute individuals.

The Chancellor also heard about other outreach projects organised by the City Mission.  She was introduced to a staff member who has spent the last two decades in prison.  Claire Newton works as the LCM prison chaplain in HMP Leeds and Wetherby Young Offenders Institute.  Day by day she has opportunities to share the gospel message with those serving sentences for a variety of crimes.  Ms Newton was able to relate to her some of the pressing issues being experienced by offenders both within jail and then life outside in the community.

The Chancellor was particularly impressed by the painted mural on the side wall of the Compassion Centre.  On a background of painted trees are some of the key words of the fruits of the Spirit from Galatians chapter 5 verses 22-23 such as love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, goodness.  LCM Coordinator Andy Dalton explained that these reflected the key Christian values and purpose of all the projects undertaken by Leeds City Mission.  The inspiration for City Mission work was their personal faith in Jesus and expressed in word and deed in many ways.  The mural had been painted by a volunteer enabling the 100 year old red brick building to gracefully blend with the surrounding grassed area, vegetation and trees.

Staff were able to share the significance of their Christmas Kids Present Project.  This annual event ensures that scores of children from deprived backgrounds have a Christmas present plus an accompanying book on the bible nativity story.

Thanks were expressed to Ms Reeves for her assistance four years ago when the premises were being renovated by volunteers to create the LCM Compassion Centre.  The volunteer team were experiencing significant difficulties with a utility company which meant that their work could not progress.  Swift intervention by Mrs Reeves and her constituency office saw a rapid resolution enabling the work to resume and eventually brought to a successful conclusion.

Ms Reeves commended the work of the City Mission and its volunteers.  She said “It was wonderful to meet with the Leeds City Mission team in Armley and hear about the fantastic work they do supporting people in need across the city. A huge thank you to Andrew and all the volunteers for their warm welcome and for everything they do in our communities”.

Chairman of the Management Committee Paul Crossley concluded that Leeds City Mission were grateful to Ms Reeves for her visit.  He said that her dual role as Chancellor of the Exchequer and MP for West Leeds & Pudsey meant that she carried an enormous amount of responsibility and had an incredible amount of pressure on her time.  Nevertheless she had found a window in her hectic schedule to visit their Compassion Centre and encourage staff and volunteers in their vital work.  This had been very much appreciated.

She was presented with a bouquet of flowers and the book “Travel Through The Houses of Parliament – Cradle of Democracy” (Day One Christian Publications) as a memento of her visit.  The richly illustrated and easy-to-read book gives the background to the Christian heritage of the palace of Westminster where she spends so much of her time in her role as guardian of the nation’s finances.

Details of Photographs

Picture of Rachel Reeves MP with staff, management committee members and volunteers inside the building

Picture of Rachel Reeves MP receiving bouquet of flowers and book “Travel Through The Houses of Parliament – Cradle of Democracy” from LCM Coordinator outside the front entrance to the LCM Compassion Centre in Mistress Lane

Picture of “Travel Through The Houses of Parliament – Cradle of Democracy” book presented to Rachel Reeves MMP

Side view of LCM Compassion Centre in Mistress Lane, Armley, Leeds. 

Picture of Rachel Reeves MP with staff and volunteers in front of mural on side wall of LCM Compassion Centre