Together Trust Archive

 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 ...

Are you interested in finding out how and where the Together Trust started? Also looking to get some exercise? As part of our National Lottery Heritage Fund project we welcome you to sign up to our virtual tour to explore our 150-year-long history across Manchester, Salford, and Cheadle while staying healthy and active.

On Saturday 10 th October 1891, the first ever street collection for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was held in a place you would not typically associate with the sea – Manchester. The inland city of Manchester may be known for its Ship Canal, but residents were moved to support the families of the 27 RNLI lifeboatmen, from St Anne's and Southport, who lost their lives  rescuing crew members from the sunken vessel, Mexico,  some five years earlier .

Earlier in the month we looked at how some of the young people from the Manchester and Salford Refuges celebrated May Day . Though the charity itself did not formally observe this day, another May holiday that the charity celebrated with great enthusiasm falls this Sunday 31 st – Whitsun .

Continuing our exploration of the illustrations created for the Manchester and Salford Refuges, we’re putting a spotlight on an image depicting the events of the 1923 Belmont Garden Fete . Some readers may have seen this little cartoon before.

Recently, we uncovered the mystery behind the charity’s first logo which was created by Enid Blyton illustrator, Grace Lodge. Discovering this fact prompted the investigation into the illustrations of the charity’s early urban services that graced (excuse the pun) the pages of the early annual reports and charity magazines. An illustration of the early Manchester and Salford Refuges and Homes Some of the above illustrations are the only records we have left of our early buildings. The engraved images are copies of original photographs, some of which still survive in the archive. Looking closely at the only surviving reproduction of the interior of the Mission Hall, the illustrator’s signature, reads ‘LANGTON’. Robert Langton (1825-1900) was a Manchester-based engraver and illustrator from Gravesend, Kent. An Associate of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts , his most well-known work was The Youth and Childhood of Charles Dickens (1891) which he both authored and illustr...

From 1 February until 24 May 2020 the Together Trust is taking over (a small corner of) The Lowry at Salford Quays! The  150 Artists  exhibition is result of an inspiring project which has seen young people currently supported by the Together Trust delve into the charity's archive to interpret, celebrate, and reflect on the charity and what it means to them, through artwork and other forms of media. The young people who created the content for this exhibition collaborated with 14 artists who were co-commissioned by people supported at our Newbridge service. Funded by Arts Council England, the project has also enabled seven trainee artists to enhance their skills and experience throughout the project. Be sure to check out the amazing artwork, as well as a brief, yet insightful, look into the charity's Manchester and Salford based services of old, at the Circle Bar at  The Lowry , Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ. Here's a peek at the archive d...

Tomorrow, Saturday 4th January 2020, sees the Together Trust reach the grand old age of 150. The ‘Night Refuge for Homeless Boys’ was opened on the 4th January 1870 at Number 16, Quay Street. On that first night, 10 lads presented themselves for admission:

January 4th saw the Together Trust turn another year older. It has now been 148 years since the charity began on a wintery morning of 1870. The charity has grown exponentially since the small terrace house was opened as a ' Night Refuge for Homeless Boys' . However, the charity’s ethos remains to provide a service to children and families in the local area.  As we are aware the small home was a great success and resulted in the expansion to a large Refuge on Francis Street and the opening of many different services throughout Manchester, Salford and beyond. Of course it was not plain sailing and the early committee members worked hard to make the venture a success. A report in the Manchester Evening News on the 18th April 1870 however, showed how it was difficult to ensure the good behaviour of the boys once they had been found work in the city.  First Home, Quay Street

Christmas was always a wonderful time for the children of the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes. Thanks to the generosity of the general public, who contributed special gifts of money to the charity at this time of year, every home across the two cities was able to sit down to Christmas lunch and entertainment. Every child also received a small gift of a muffler or a toy.  Annual Christmas Bazaar

The country fell silent on Saturday to mark the signing of the armistice between the Allies and Germany at 11am on 11 November 1918. It signified the end of World War One, after four long years of fighting.  Poppy display outside the Together Trust, 2014

Our admission books are at the very heart of our archive collection. We have many records relating to the administration of the charity: how it was managed; who was in control; what needed doing on a day-to day business; how money was collected and spent. These are hugely important records to show who we were. However, it is the individuals who tell the real story, not only about the charity itself but also about the evolution of childcare and the social conditions that were experienced in each decade of the Together Trust’s history . Orphan Home Admission Book

We are excited to announce we have a brand new  search engine on our Together Trust website to help people see if their ancestors were ever in one of our Manchester homes . New search facility

Today a chance encounter in the archive has brought up an interesting case. It stems from an admission to the Homes on the 12th May 1909 and involves a first for the charity and for the city of Manchester. Lizzie after admission

The Together Trust is pleased to announce that some of the work from its Deep Pockets and Dirty Faces project is now on display at Manchester Central Library . Costumes, artwork and material from the archive is on display within the exhibition area and audio clips and images can be viewed on the Library’s digital screens.  Costumes on display in the Reading Room

In our last  blog  we left our Sheffield Reporter in the schoolroom of the Central Refuge on Francis Street. Today we’ll be following him as he tours the rest of the building, shedding a light on how the Refuge operated back in 1881. Firewood workshop in the courtyard

Over the next few blogs we’re going to be looking in more depth at the Central Refuge in Strangeways. The following description comes from the ‘Sheffield Reporter’, whose journalist made a visit to the home in May 1881. This was a reconnaissance trip to see if there could be a similar set up for the children of Sheffield, as an alternative to the workhouse or industrial schools. Central Refuge, Francis Street

This rather lovely photograph below shows one of our boys, Charles, dressed in the uniform of the charity’s Newspaper Brigade. The group was formed ‘for the purpose of counteracting the pernicious influence of bad books by the introduction of pure literature, in a cheap and an attractive form, into the homes of the people’ ( The Quiver : an illustrated magazine for Sunday and general reading [1894]). Charles in uniform   Those admitted to the Brigade were not usually resident in one of the charity’s homes. On application, a form was completed to determine place of birth, position of family, the education standard passed, and whether "he has been used to selling papers”. Once admitted, conduct was closely watched, parents, or guardians, visited periodically and a report of behaviour and the condition of home was completed. When the boys were old enough, the Committee undertook to find them regular employment. It will be noted that the service was strictly for boys, the R...

We’ve spoken before on this blog about the Remand Home that was set up in 1910 as part of the Children’s Shelter on Chatham Street. The archives reveal separate admission books for the Remand Home from this date, although magistrates were using other homes belonging to the charity from 1896 to house boys who had been convicted of a crime. Ra ilings on the roof top of the Remand Home

In 1921, in celebration of the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes jubilee, a new book was published. Written by William Edmondson, Secretary of the charity between 1894 and 1920, it told the story of the first 50 years of the Refuges. It is the only published history of the charity and concentrates on individual stories, attempting to provoke sympathy in the reader and encourage donations or aid. For those interested in the charity’s Victorian work, it offers an introduction to the services, key staff and stories of the children who lived in the homes. Making Rough Places Plain, 1920