HLF grant helps young people discover charity's roots

The Together Trust is excited to be able to announce the start of a new project exploring the history of charity childcare in Victorian Manchester. Thanks to a grant of £38,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, young people within our services today will be able to take part in 'Deep Pockets and Dirty Faces', which will open up the charity’s history to the local community and beyond.

Together Trust Documents

The project will enable local young people to discover the origins and explore the history of the Together Trust in a fun and creative way. An important organisation in the history of childcare within the North West, this project aims to increase awareness in the local community through the creative output of the young people today who use our services.

Using the charity’s extensive archive the findings of the young people will be interpreted in a variety of different formats including a digital film, 4D theatre performances, website material and exhibitions. The charity is also excited to be working alongside other prominent heritage organisations in the area including Salford Museum and Art Gallery, the Archives+ Centre at Manchester Central Library and Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Amongst the archives

The aim of this project is to ensure people gain new skills, learn about their heritage and understand how the charity’s history is important to the local community in a fun and engaging way. For the charity it will also help highlight the complexity of its archive and its importance to the history of Manchester and Salford. The young people will also explore Liverpool through it's emigration links.

As highlighted on our last blog the necessity of preserving and understanding charity archives is integral to the perception of our wider history in general. By exploring the Together Trust's Victorian history through our young people, we can demonstrate how the charity fits into Manchester’s history and shaped the city we know today.