Together Trust Archive

It’s nearly  Shrove Tuesday ! I was reminded by the appearance of a pancake maker at the Together Trust this week, promising to make perfect pancakes quickly with little mess. Of course as a child the best thing about Pancake Day (aside from the eating) was the tossing, the catching or the scraping of the now inedible pancake off the kitchen floor.   Diary entry for 1 March 1870 – Shrove Tuesday

On letters - “This is just me, me the way I write, the way my writing is, the way I want to be to you, giving myself to you across a distance, not keeping or retaining any part of it for myself, giving this piece of myself totally, and you can tear me up or throw me out, or keep me, and read me today, tomorrow, any time you want until you die.” - Love Letters, A. R. Gurn ey Emigration scrap books

We are looking into the work of another former Trustee this week – Sir Robert McDougall. The surname may be familiar to some, McDougall flour has long been a well established name within baking circles.  Sir Robert McDougall

Within the Together Trust ’s photograph collection is a small section from the 1920s and 1930s, which are made up of postcards of the various services provided by the charity.  ‘The Children’s Garden Village “Belmont”, Cheadle, Cheshire’

Between the years 2003 – 2010 the Together Trust ran a successful adoption service alongside its fostering work.  Together Trust Adoption Leaflet

Regular readers to this blog will know we’re about to hit a special day in the Together Trust calendar once again. On Saturday 4th January our charity sees its 144th birthday and once again we look back with pride over our illustrious past. Refuge Band, 1900

"This has been our seventh Christmas at Belmont, and it has been a real kiddies’ Christmas. The preparations in the kitchen are watched with eagerness, and the stirring of the plum puddings is carried out to the accompaniment of almost deafening cheers. There are many willing hands for the decorating of the rooms and the coming of the great Christmas Tree at night-time intensifies the excitement. Bringing in the Christmas Tree, 1935

It’s the 20th December and to shut out the looming panic of shopping lists only half completed we’ll turn instead to Christmas across the seas and see how our Canadian family used to celebrate the festive season. Christmas Letter Home 1904

Today we turn to look at a family who have represented and supported the Together Trust since 1902. When a family is associated for over a hundred years with a charity it is impossible to highlight all the work different individuals have partaken in within one small blog. With two chairmen, trustees, committee members and numerous donators, the family have been at the core of the charity’s success over the last 143 years. 

We are returning to Bethesda on George Street this week to coincide with UK Disability History Month ( UKDHM ) 22 November – 22 December 2013. The aim this year is to explore the history of attitudes and how disabled people's lives have been marked by change. Bethesda, 1900

We’ve spoken before on this blog about how vital our records are to many different communities in the local area. This week sees archives across Manchester, and the rest of the UK, come together to raise awareness of their collections and their value to society. 

In 1888 a set of buildings were purchased on Great Ducie Street, near to the main Central Refuge on Francis Street. These were originally held under lease from the Lord Ducie estate, until ambitious construction works commissioned by the Refuge to replace the old buildings were completed in 1890. Artist's impression of the 1890 building