The annual Great Get Together was established by the Jo Cox Foundation in memory of the late MP’s belief that “we all have more in common than that which divides us”. It seeks to bridge division and remind communities of how much they have in common by staging a series of picnics, events and meet-ups.

Several of us from Out In The City and Friends of Dorothy went to the event in Sackville Gardens, in the heart of Manchester’s Gay Village, on Sunday 23 June.

It also happened to be Alan Turing’s birthday – he would have been 107!

Since its launch in 2017, the Great Get Together has seen over a hundred thousand “get togethers” and almost a million people taking part. It has become a powerful symbol of national unity and community. The Great Get Together is now one of the UK’s biggest and most successful charitable projects, honouring Jo Cox by showcasing the values she championed.

There was also a line dancing demonstration on Canal Street.

 

 

Trips & Adventures – 20 June 2019

Is it in Greater Manchester? Do I need waterproof clothing? Where are we going for lunch? Are we going on the tram? Many questions were asked to find out the whereabouts of our mystery trip, but no clues were revealed until the day itself.

We set off from Church House and walked through St Ann’s Square to the Royal Exchange Theatre.

There we had a guided tour through the building – the largest theatre in the round in the country – including the Great Hall, production departments, backstage areas, dressing rooms and The Studio.

We learnt all about the fascinating history of the Royal Exchange building and the Theatre Company while offering real insight into the production process.

The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester city centre, which was heavily damaged in the Manchester Blitz and in the 1996 Manchester bombing. The current building is the last of several buildings on the site used for commodities exchange, primarily but not exclusively of cotton and textiles.

In the 18th century the trade was part of the slave trade in which African slaves were transported to America where the cotton was grown and then exported to Liverpool where the raw cotton was sold. The raw cotton was processed in Manchester and the surrounding cotton towns. Manchester Royal Exchange traded in spun yarn and finished goods throughout the world including Africa until trading ceased in 1968, and the building was threatened with demolition.

The building remained empty until 1973 when it was used to house a theatre company. The Royal Exchange Theatre was founded in 1976.

In 1999, the Royal Exchange was awarded ‘Theatre of the Year’ in the Barclays Theatre Awards, in recognition of its refurbishment and ambitious re-opening season.

After an interesting tour we retired to the local Wetherspoons for food and refreshments.

 

 

Trips & Adventures – 15 June 2019

Jim celebrated his 90th birthday with a wonderful party upstairs at the Mustard Tree. There was plenty of food, drink and laughter and we were treated to an exhibition of Jim’s artistic works – see self portrait:

There was music, speeches, birthday cake, champagne and more. Photos can be seen here

Trips & Adventures – 16 June 2019

We had a busy weekend as we also ventured to the Bridgewater Hall to hear Chineke! Orchestra, the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority black and minority ethnic musicians. The orchestra was founded by musician Chi-chi Nwanoku and their debut concert was in 2015 at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

The concert featured live music in the stalls bar, a pre-concert talk with Chi-chi Nwanoku and Wayne Marshall (conductor) about the orchestra’s work and aspirations and an afternoon concert. This included an attractively lyrical work by neglected black composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a lively new work by American pianist Stewart Goodyear and a stalwart symphony, Dvořák’s magnificent Seventh.

Dvořák himself was so impressed with the brilliantly successful performance that he climbed on stage and shouted “Bravo!”

Trips & Adventures – 13 June 2019

Unfortunately, the rain stopped our visit to Fletcher Moss Park and Botanical Gardens, but we had a Plan B!

We caught the bus from Piccadilly to Manchester’s LGBT+ centre, a thriving youth and community centre, based on Sidney Street in the heart of the city. It was the first fully publicly funded ‘gay centre’ built in Europe. It’s over 30 years since it opened, and we enjoyed fresh and affordable veggie food made from scratch, in a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

It’s only a two minute walk to the Manchester School of Art where the degree show “Everything Starts from Something” exhibited work by over 1,000 graduates in a range of disciplines including architecture, art, design and media.

We had a great time especially in the interactive room. There was so much to see, but we had a break in the Salutation Pub next door.

Trips & Adventures – 5 June 2019

We were delighted to be invited to the launch of Pride in Ageing, an important new programme of work at the LGBT Foundation.  We were joined by Sir Ian McKellen at this special event.

Many older LGBT people have grown up in a world hostile to their identities. Some will have come of age before the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in 1967, and may have experienced significant discrimination and prejudice in their lifetimes.

Pride in Ageing believes that all older LGBT people have the right to an excellent quality of life in later years, and deserve to live in a society that embraces all parts of their identity. They will work to end the inequalities faced by older LGBT people in Greater Manchester and ensure that we have access to inclusive housing and care later in life. The programme will also tackle the social isolation faced by older LGBT people in the UK, which is known to be commonplace and has a significant impact on our health, happiness and wellbeing.

It will also celebrate the positive aspects of being an older LGBT person in our city-region, bringing people together to share their stories and experiences, and building a community of active and empowered older LGBT people.

Out In The City was well represented at the event with stories from several of our members.

Trips & Adventures – 6 June 2019

Fifteen of us got out of bed early and travelled comfortably, in executive style, to Plas Newydd in Llangollen, the historic house which was the home of the Ladies of Llangollen for nearly 50 years.

Plas Newydd is notable as the home where two Irish ladies, Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby (the Ladies of Llangollen) eloped and set up house together in the late 18th century, scandalising contemporary British society. Plas Newydd was originally a five-roomed stone cottage, but over the years it was enlarged to include many Gothic features.

Although originally ostracised by their families, the ladies and their unconventional lifestyle gradually became accepted, and their home was visited by many famous people including Robert Southey, William Wordsworth, Caroline Lamb and Sir Walter Scott, the Duke of Wellington, the industrialist Josiah Wedgwood and Anne Lister from Shibden Hall.

We went into the town of Llangollen and spent a few hours sight seeing, shopping, walking, having a pint or two, relaxing in the warm sunshine, generally enjoying ourselves, before heading back to Manchester. Lots of photos can be seen here.