Exhibition: 150 Years of the Together Trust

 

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 the services offered by the Trust may have changed over the past 150 years, it's clear the Trust's positive impact on the lives of those they support has stayed the same.

Although the Together Trust's 150th celebrations, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, culminates with this Central Library exhibition, the anniversary has also seen the introduction of new online resources, the publishing of Andrew Simpson's book, 'The Ever Open Door', an artist exhibition at the Lowry in May 2020 and the unveiling of a new plaque in July 2021 marking the very spot on Quay Street where the first night refuge was opened.

The exhibition provides a great introduction to the Trust's history and rich archive and is available to enjoy for free at Manchester Central Library until 30 June 2022.