Together Trust Archive

 As I was searching the 1925 edition of the Charity's magazine, the Children's Haven, for something completely unrelated I came across an article about a staff reunion held at Bethesda to celebrate the golden wedding of an employee, a Mr Crick. As well as detailing the gifts received by Mr and Mrs Crick on their anniversary (two Chesterfield chairs), the article provides a list of past and present staff members in attendance. Many of these staff  had worked for the Charity for decades which led me to see if I could find out anymore about some of those individuals named. The reason for the staff reunion of December 1925 was the occasion of Mr and Mrs Crick's golden wedding anniversary where Mr Crick declared if he had his time again he would choose, ' the same girl for a wife '. The image below from The Children's Haven edition of 1927 allows us to put a face to the names. Having been in charge of the boot making and boot repair departments since around 1901 wher

 I've recently been exploring some of the Trust's records relating to Bethesda, a home for children with disabilities and long-term health conditions which was opened in 1890 and closed in 1999. The Bethesda service demonstrates how the Charity adapted to changing times and the work carried out at Bethesda had a long-term impact, influencing subsequent services provided by the Charity. The Bethesda service existed in a number of different locations throughout its history. Between 1890 and 1958 it was located in George Street, Cheetham Hill providing a home for orphaned children with disabilities or those whose health conditions meant their parents could not care for them. The terminology used to describe the service at this time, 'Bethesda Home for Crippled and Incurable Children' would certainly not be used today but was reflective of attitudes of the time. Emotive language was used to encourage donations as seen in the 1891 Annual Report's description of Bethesda

Reading about the circumstances under which children came into the Charity's care it's clear why the Charity became increasingly involved in child protection cases, helping to bring some of these cases to court by opening a department specifically for child protection work in 1884. This branch of the Charity was in 1885 named the Manchester and Salford Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In 1889 a new bill, the Prevention of Cruelty to, and Protection of, Children Act, was passed and the Charity's magazine, The Christian Worker, in January 1890 recounted a case under this new bill at Manchester Police Court in which five siblings aged 11 and under were found by one of their officers 'shamefully neglected.' Conditions were described in the magazine as follows: 'In a corner of the wretched room where this family of seven lived, without fire or light in the midst of winter, were a few rags, filthy in the extreme, which served them all for a bed. In s

The emigration of children to Canada by the charity then known as 'Manchester and Salford Refuges and Homes' has been well documented in this blog and looking through the admission books the number of entries which end 'Sailed for Canada' demonstrates how emigration was an important part of the charity's work from 1872 until the charity ended the practice in 1914. Seen by many charities at the time as a cost efficient way of offering poor and orphaned children a new life, the practice also offered a solution to the demand for farm and domestic labour in Canada. While the admission books frequently refer to emigration being at the child's own request, it's hard to imagine that many of the children who made the journey understood what they were signing up to. The difficult circumstances of these children's lives however mean it's easy to understand why the hope of a new life was so tempting. I've concentrated my attention so far on those that left

I have recently been exploring the charity's magazine, begun under the title The Christian Worker in 1879 and later becoming The Children's Haven in 1895 it was designed to promote Manchester and Salford Boys' and Girls' Refugees and Homes to the local community and encourage donations. There was a proliferation of newspapers and magazines from the mid-nineteenth century influenced by increased literacy in the population, a rise in consumer spending and a reduction in the cost of production. The charity recognised that a magazine was an effective way of communicating their work and seeking support from the local community, much as the Trust's social media accounts do now. There's one regular feature in the magazine sometimes called 'Notes of a Month's Work' or 'Leaves from the Diary of a Refuge...' which describe the circumstances under which children arrived at the Orphan Homes. These stories often describe young children in dire circumstanc

  Last week saw the celebration of the opening of our Manchester Central Library exhibition on 150 years of the Together Trust. The Mayor, trustees, supporters and friends celebrated the opening of this exhibition, with a particular highlight being performances from students past and present from Inscape House School. The exhibition demonstrates how the Trust has evolved and changed with the times. From humble beginnings in 1870 when a few hammocks within a house on Quay Street, Deansgate provided a safe place for homeless boys to stay, to offering over 40 different services supporting and championing the rights of children, adults, parents and carers across the north-west.  Being new to the Together Trust myself, this exhibition provides the perfect opportunity to understand more about the charity's history and see items from the Trust's archive. A personal favourite being admission book entries and photographs providing details of those the charity provided a home to. While t