Together Trust Archive

The Open Door, or The Ever Open Door as our Children's Shelter was often termed, was the inspiration for the title of our recent book written by Andrew Simpson which documents our 150 year history. 

For those who read Andrew Simpson's blog dedicated to the history of Chorlton (and more!), you may already know that in celebration of the Together Trust's 150th year we are publishing a book on the history of the charity in 2020. We have worked closely with Andrew who has produced a fascinating read which delves into the history of the Together Trust, a charity whose unwavering dedication to improving the lives of young people is celebrated in this work. Andrew has consulted our vast and unique archive to tell the stories of some of the young people who in the early days of the charity found themselves destitute on the city's streets; following some of them on their journeys to Canada, and mapping the changes in child welfare in the process. The Parcel Brigade outside the Children's Shelter (c. 1915) - one of the images that inspired the cover illustration.

The Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes, as regular readers to our blog will know, sailed across to Canada twice a year with parties of children. These parties were heading for a new life out of the city slums, on to the rich farming lands of Ontario. Their journey has already been well documented throughout this blog .    In the corn at Marc hmont

On the 9th October 1896 a policeman turned up to the Children’s Shelter on Chatham Street bringing with him a 15 year old boy. After many months tramping around the country Tom had found himself in Manchester, destitute and alone. Originally from Liverpool, the family had moved to Dartford where Tom’s father drove an omnibus. A  ‘very wild character and of loose habits’  Tom was abandoned when his father fell heavily into debt and ran off.   Tom's Application Form

Today we tell a story from the Children’s Haven in regards to Thomas, a Refuge boy who ended up on the charity’s training ship, the Indefatigable . Thomas first came to the attention of the Manchester and Salford Refuge in 1896 when he turned up at midnight at the open-all-night shelter on Chatham Street, accompanied by a policeman. At the tender age of 12 years he had been sleeping on the streets of Manchester as he had nowhere else to go. Thomas on admittance

'When the stones under his bare feet are frozen he is sent out to wander, to plead, to pester, to get thrust out of the way and cursed by some, to get for his match-box the penny for which all the joy and health of his childhood are being sold' - Reverend Benjamin Waugh , Contemporary Review, July 1888.  Between 1885 and 1894 the Manchester Refuges operated a branch of work called the Manchester and Salford Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children . It was a predecessor to the NSPCC investigating and prosecuting neglectful or abusive parents in the courts. The establishment of a Manchester branch by the NSPCC in 1894 brought an end to this work, but not before 9,922 children had been assisted. After 1894 the charity had a close working relationship with the NSPCC and the admission books continued to tell stories of children whose parents were prosecuted by the courts.  Letterhead for branch