Together Trust Archive

When the formation of the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes took place on the 4th January 1870, it was all down to the endeavours of two men, Leonard Kilbee Shaw and Richard Bramwell Taylor. It was the passionate and personable Shaw however, who stood as the face of the charity in its early days. Although little has been written about Shaw, even less has come to light about his friend and co-founder Richard Taylor. Today we attempt to address this to a small degree. Richard Bramwell Taylor c. 1900

“ The neglect to which the great mass of working-men's children are condemned leaves ineradicable traces and brings the enfeeblement of the whole race of workers with it. ” ' The Condition of the Working Class in England ' , Friedrich Engels, 1844 Manchester Town Hall

Over the last fifty years the city of Manchester has been undertaking change. The 1960s saw extensive re-development of the city with the slums areas being cleared and new buildings taking their places. The detonation of an IRA bomb in the city centre in 1996 destroyed many buildings (although fortunately no lives were lost) and was a catalyst for the regeneration of many of the run down areas of the city. Today sees a Manchester populated with high rise buildings and new developments, a far cry from the slum areas of old. The Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes opened up its services in many of these poorer parts of the city. Consequently few of its original buildings remain today. Plan of Central Refuge, 1895  

We hope all our readers had a fantastic Christmas! In the Central Refuge Yard, 1890 As always, as we welcome in the New Year, the Together Trust celebrates another 12 months of helping people break through barriers. The beginning of January is always a special time of the year for the charity as it takes pride in its long illustrious history and celebrates another birthday. Today we reach the grand old age of 143! I thought we’d celebrate this wondrous event with two images taken from one of our older photograph albums. The first was taken in the Refuge Yard on Francis Street, Manchester and shows a group photograph of the Caxton Brigade alongside Mr Shaw , one of the charity's founders.