Together Trust Archive

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 .

As it approaches Mother’s Day it prompts reflection on what our relationships mean to us: whether that be with one’s biological mother; grandmother; step-mother; foster or adoptive mother, or any other influential female who plays a significant part in our lives. For some this may stir up feelings of confusion or sadness. For others this can be a happy time in which to share fond memories and create new ones together. For those young people who were in the care of the Refuges many may not have had a relationship with their mothers. The reasons for a child entering care were varied and complex. Some had faced the trauma of losing their parents at an early age to illness, or were removed from their situation either permanently or on a short-term basis. Regardless of circumstance, we should all have a person in our lives who provides us with the same sureties a mother does, be they female, or indeed, male. So as Mother’s Day approaches we ask ‘what is the role of a mother?’

When the Manchester Refuges began in 1870 it catered for children in some of the most dire straits. The slum areas of Angel Meadow, Ancoats and Blackfriars spewed out dirty, ragged and half starved children that were often in need of assistance from the church or charities to avoid the dreaded shadow of the Workhouse .  In the Manchester Slums

After the last few blogs about the importance of documents for establishing identity I thought we would look at some more of our fabulous emigration collection and the individuals they represented. Passengers on the boat to Canada

“It caused us a great deal of distress to give up the name by which we had been known for ninety years, but time does bring change and change has had to be gone through.” - Anonymous, A Potted History of the BGWS (c.1977). Since the charity’s beginnings in 1870 it has been known under three different names. All chosen to reflect the work carried out by the organisation, they also reveal how the charity has changed. So what is in a name?   (1870 to 1960) Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes

The Together Trust has a number of photograph albums within its collection, which contain various images of the young people under its care as well as the different buildings used and events attended. Many of these photographs have been labelled by the committee members who put them together, either with the name of the young person or the event that was being attended. The photograph below for example, highlights that the group of girls shown were from the Heathfield Home and were about to be emigrated to Canada in 1885. Girls from Heathfield to Canada

With this weekend heralding 100 years since the catastrophic sinking of the RMS Titanic , my mind wandered towards the 2,129 of our children who made the similar long journey across the ocean to start a better lift elsewhere. Like many on board the Titanic, the journey was seen as a means to improve circumstances and leave behind the crowded smoky cities of England to the spacious lands of Canada and America. In the open fields of Canada c.1900 (PH/5/4)

Leonard Kilbee Shaw Today we are focusing on the life and work of one man – Leonard Kilbee Shaw – who was the founder of the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes and the hero of our story….

 The Old Refuge Yard, Strangeways, Together Trust Archive, PH/4/15