Together Trust Archive

April 2021 will see the world’s first ‘Care Experienced History Month’ aimed at recognising, celebrating and commemorating the lives of care-experienced people. It will also highlight the issues faced by those currently in and leaving the care system. The initiative is a partnership between organisations and individuals around the world and will seek to build communities and increase knowledge of the history of care. –  Care Experienced History Month - Coram Story  

With a milestone in the history of the Together Trust and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic coinciding in 2020, plans to celebrate our 150th anniversary suffered many setbacks. Whilst we were able to move some of our events online, others have been postponed indefinitely.

We have often considered the impact of the First World War on the Manchester and Salford Refuges on this blog with solemn remembrances of the care leavers and staff who died, celebrations of their bravery, and the economic effects on the day-to-day running of the charity. Yet the war affected the charity in other ways, as it led to higher numbers of admissions to the charity's residential homes.

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 .

Join us on Facebook from Monday 12th October - Friday 16th October to share your memories of the Together Trust, the Boys' and Girls' Welfare Society, and the Manchester and Salford Boys' and Girls' Refuges and Homes. 

The UK government’s Track and Trace system introduced to manage the spread of COVID-19 is certainly new in its approach, but monitoring outbreaks of infectious disease is nothing new.

Although less than one per cent of this blog’s audience is made up of readers from Australia, a nice little story has sprung up from down under, unearthing a connection between the Australian horticulturalist and broadcaster, Peter Cundall , and our summer camp at Birkdale.

We may be out of lockdown, but I'm sure there are still many who are shielding or keeping indoors (especially when the weather is so miserable). For those who want an art and history fix, or for those in need of mindful relaxation, you can colour our collections by downloading a free colouring pack from the Together Trust website here .

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.

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. 

Today we learned the sad news of Dame Vera Lynn 's passing. The voice of a generation, her music provided both cheer and solemn reflection during the Second World War and beyond. Known for her rendition of We'll Meet Again , the song touched a new generation during the recent 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day on the 8th May this year.

As promised we return to share our Explore Your Archive tweets for the year so far , so you can explore our archive.