Together Trust Archive

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...

As summer begins and temperatures soar many of us may be looking forward to getting away (though this not an essential nor easy thing to do or consider at this time due to the pandemic). For many young people in our homes during the Victorian period and into the mid twentieth century holidays were a luxury. Our charity went some way, however, to provide a holiday experience for those who may otherwise never journeyed beyond the city limits for some much needed play and relaxation. During Local History Month in May, we focused on funding and donations from local communities; this time we are zoning in one particular area, Prestwich, north of Manchester, to look at some of the many ways in which individuals and families outside of Manchester and Salford supported the charity and helped young people to venture out of the city in summer.

It's local and community history month, so we are looking at some of the communities across Greater Manchester and Cheshire that have helped us change lives over the past 150 years.

Once again, we find ourselves near the end of another year. It has been a busy one in the archive department with World War One commemorations and research for our forthcoming book. We’ve also been preparing for a busy year in 2019, as arrangements for our 150th anniversary goes full steam ahead. We’re excited to be celebrating this momentous occasion and share our fabulous story far and wide.  Santa at an annual bazaar

The Together Trust has a a series of books in its archive designed to promote the workings of the charity to the Manchester and Salford community. Originally seen in a section of a magazine written by the charity as an offshoot to its committee's Christian missionary interests, known as The Christian Worker, it expanded into a magazine wholly dedicated to the charity from 1895 when it became  The Children’s Haven.  The latter aimed to disseminate news of the charity, encourage donations and advertise events and meetings to the public.  Children’s page from The Christian Worker

After the last few days of snow and ice I felt a need for my thoughts to turn to warmer days and the approach of spring (a little premature but a delightful thought all the same!) And what better way to do that then to revert back across to Birkdale and have another look at our dear old summer camp and the thousands of children who were given a much needed break by the seaside. Summer Camp, Birkdale, 1900s

As a result of our recent Cheadle Festival the Together Trust raised a well-earned £14,000 . These are vital funds towards the charity’s services providing much needed holidays, equipment and activities for the children, young people and adults we serve. Simplyhealth team - winners of It's a Knockout round one

The great event of the year at the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges was Christmas with its good cheer and the arrival of Santa Claus. So as it’s only two days until Christmas I thought it was a good excuse to see how the charity used to celebrate the ‘big day!’ Taken from the Children’s Haven 1886

Last Sunday saw a familiar sight at the Together Trust Central Offices in Cheadle. Roaring down the road on motorbikes came around a hundred Santa’s, elves and Christmas fairies, members of the Roughley's Bikers , arriving to distribute presents to the charity. The Roughley’s Bikers’ present drop has been an annual occurrence for the last ten years, and has become a well-loved tradition for the children and young people at the Together Trust.  Roughley's Bikers dropping off presents at the Together Trust, 2011

Strolling through the streets of Manchester yesterday I soon found myself outside House of Fraser on Deansgate. The building has been a large department store since 1835 when Thomas Kendal, James Milne and Adam Faulkner bought the shop. It has traded under various names before becoming part of the House of Fraser chain in 2005, but is still known to most Mancunians’ as Kendal Milne . The sight of the building got me thinking about our own connection to one of these famous families, the Milnes, and how they have contributed to the charity’s history... Belmont House in the 1950s