Together Trust Archive

Reading about the circumstances under which children came into the Charity's care it's clear why the Charity became increasingly involved in child protection cases, helping to bring some of these cases to court by opening a department specifically for child protection work in 1884. This branch of the Charity was in 1885 named the Manchester and Salford Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In 1889 a new bill, the Prevention of Cruelty to, and Protection of, Children Act, was passed and the Charity's magazine, The Christian Worker, in January 1890 recounted a case under this new bill at Manchester Police Court in which five siblings aged 11 and under were found by one of their officers 'shamefully neglected.' Conditions were described in the magazine as follows: 'In a corner of the wretched room where this family of seven lived, without fire or light in the midst of winter, were a few rags, filthy in the extreme, which served them all for a bed. In s...

The emigration of children to Canada by the charity then known as 'Manchester and Salford Refuges and Homes' has been well documented in this blog and looking through the admission books the number of entries which end 'Sailed for Canada' demonstrates how emigration was an important part of the charity's work from 1872 until the charity ended the practice in 1914. Seen by many charities at the time as a cost efficient way of offering poor and orphaned children a new life, the practice also offered a solution to the demand for farm and domestic labour in Canada. While the admission books frequently refer to emigration being at the child's own request, it's hard to imagine that many of the children who made the journey understood what they were signing up to. The difficult circumstances of these children's lives however mean it's easy to understand why the hope of a new life was so tempting. I've concentrated my attention so far on those that left ...

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...

  Last week saw the celebration of the opening of our Manchester Central Library exhibition on 150 years of the Together Trust. The Mayor, trustees, supporters and friends celebrated the opening of this exhibition, with a particular highlight being performances from students past and present from Inscape House School. The exhibition demonstrates how the Trust has evolved and changed with the times. From humble beginnings in 1870 when a few hammocks within a house on Quay Street, Deansgate provided a safe place for homeless boys to stay, to offering over 40 different services supporting and championing the rights of children, adults, parents and carers across the north-west.  Being new to the Together Trust myself, this exhibition provides the perfect opportunity to understand more about the charity's history and see items from the Trust's archive. A personal favourite being admission book entries and photographs providing details of those the charity provided a home to. While ...

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.

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.