Factory International

Community Partnerships

Our Community Partnerships Programme aims to create more equitable relationships and meaningful collaboration between community groups and Factory International.

A boy in a green t-shirt with his back to the camera flies a kite in a park. The sky is blue with some clouds and in the background other people are looking up at the kite.

About our community partnership programme

Our Community Partnerships Programme builds strong relationships between Factory International and community organisations across Greater Manchester.

We work with our partners to increase access to arts and culture by co-designing creative activities that feel accesible and tangible for local people and distributing free and discounted tickets. We offer financial and capacity building support to our partners that helps them to build their organisational reach, develop infrastructure and skills, or start a new project. Through these relationships we are continually learning about hyper local engagement, delivering programmes that meet community need, and how to make our work more inclusive, accessible and relevant.

Our Community Partner Organisations for 2024-2025 are Manchester Urban Diggers (MUD) CIC, Salford Lads’ and Girls’ Club and Rainbow Haven.

We also continue to work with our incredible existing partners – REELMCR, CDM UK, Patricroft CIC and Thrive Manchester – to build on the success of the pilot year of the programme.

You can find out more about our partners below.

The Community Partnership Programme is a part of Factory International's wider Public Engagement work that enables Greater Manchester residents to take part in and influence our programme of high quality productions and events.

For any questions about any of our engagement programmes please contact publicengagement@factoryinternational.org

Supported by

Esmée Fairbairn

Watch

Three people sat outside on a picnic table eating from bowls, talking and laughing.

Cooking with Mary-Ellen McTague | Manchester Urban Diggers | FI Community Partnership

00:10:37

Community Partnerships | Factory International

00:03:00

Our Community Partners 2024

MUD CIC

Manchester Urban Diggers CIC (MUD) is a social enterprise working to create food system change and empower communities. We create grassroots, people­-led farming projects across Greater Manchester where we can grow food. Since 2019, we’ve worked on 29 food growing projects. Our work provides three main benefits: Improving the environment, improving personal wellbeing and strengthening communities through the universal right to grow, cook and eat food.

MUD began at Platt Fields Market Garden – a fallow patch of grass with no facilities that, with the work of staff and volunteers, is now a unique and thriving community market garden and home to 10+ community groups. A beautiful oasis in a busy urban city. It is a place where local people develop a wide range of horticulture skills, connect with others, increase their physical activity, share food, learn about sustainable food growing, activism and get involved in developing ideas and projects. 

In 2022 we hosted 9500 hours of volunteering, cooked and served 1300 free meals, grew 750kg and gleaned 5.2 tonnes of fresh produce. We host catered wellbeing and community cohesion programmes using food grown on site. We design, build and consult community gardens in partnerships. We also offer catering, fresh produce sales, community events, venue hire, and volunteer days.

We were identified by GMCVO as an example of best practice for an inclusive economy and mentioned by MP Afzal Kahn in the House of Commons highlighting our repurposing of green space. We were awarded the RHS Britain In Bloom’s discretionary ‘Pride of Manchester’ award in 2022 and the ‘Dena Murphy’ award in 2023 in recognition of our community work in Manchester at Platt Fields Market Garden. We were awarded Project of the Year 2023 at the Manchester Food & Drink awards. We are involved in two of the largest Green Spaces Award projects: BUG in Beswick and Forever Fields in Whalley Range.

Two people smile and chat near a maypole decorated with colorful ribbons in an outdoor gathering, with other festival attendees in the background.

SALFORD LADS AND GIRLS CLUB

Salford Lads’ and Girls’ Club was established in 1903 as a purpose built club for boys in the Ordsall area. It is the last of several clubs in Greater Manchester independently funded by local companies to provide positive alternatives to teenage street gangs in the poorest parts of the city. Founded by the Groves brothers, the site was officially opened by Lord Baden Powell in 1904, has continued to provide facilities for 120 years, and is now considered to be the ‘finest example of a pre-First World War “lads’ clubs” still operating today. The club is still an active community space for young people in Salford and opened to girls in 1994. Our aim and motto are the same that of the founding year: “to brighten young lives and make good citizens.” We currently provide activities on 6 days each week, with over 200 young people using the building. We host a junior club, girls' clubs and boys' club, annual camping trips, community events offering a range of sports, creative and cultural pursuits – all run largely by volunteers.

Being situated in one of the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in the country (Government Indices of Multiple Deprivation - Salford 028B LSOA) and being the only youth provision left on the Ordsall estate means we are of vital importance to local youngsters, families and the local community. Our core values remain the same as when the club was originally set up in 1903 by the Groves and Whitnall Brewery (which was situated where the Campanile Hotel is now on Regent Road) – to help keep local youngsters from deprived families out of street gangs and give them skills, experiences and opportunities. These aims and objectives remain just as valid today.

The historic red-brick facade of Salford Lads Club, with green doors and ornate archways, under a cloudy sky.

Rainbow Haven

Based in Gorton, Rainbow Haven (trading name of The East Manchester Community Association TEMCA) is a registered charity offering an unconditional welcome, advice, emotional and practical support and community to asylum seekers and refugees in East Manchester. 

Our community hub is open three days per week, and offers a wide range of free services: specialist advice and information, wellbeing activities, learning and skills sessions, peri and post-natal support, hot meals and destitution support.

Our mission is to ensure those who have experienced trauma, conflict, isolation and discrimination find a warm welcome, a place of safety, advice, support and friendship to navigate complex systems, live with dignity and build safe, productive lives in the UK.

Four people playing instruments – (L–R): Recorder, guitar, keyboard and drum. They are sat inside a carpeted room.

Our community partners 2023

Taslima from CDM UK holds up a piece of fabric with a black and white print of Salford and Manchester

CDM UK

People gathered in the Social at Aviva Studios watching a film on the big screen. There is a colourful sculpture on display.

REEL Mcr

Three people stood on a curb outside smiling. Behind them is a wall decorated with paint and colourful drawings.

Patricroft Community Group CIC

Two people stood outside in front of a metal fence, wearing black tops and jeans. They are stood next to a sign which says 'Thrive MCR: passionate about people and health'

Thrive Manchester

Working together

What we're committed to:

-Supporting local communities at a time of need

-Building trust, sharing skills and open dialogue with community organisations

-Opening doors to share opportunities, to create work and be involved in Factory International, employment, training and more

-Increasing access to art and culture and provide opportunities for local people to participate, create and collaborate, with us, in engaging ways that are responsive to community need

-Raising awareness of Factory International and MIF, and ensuring community voice is heard and reflected in our programmes and commissions

Seven people smiling in a workshop
A lady flying a kite

What we're doing:

-Factory International will offer financial support of £10,000 paid via 4 instalments over 12 months

-Co-design a contract with the community organisations, tailored to their needs

-Offer capacity-building support agreed upon in the co-design process

-Genuinely listen to feedback and reflect this back in our programmes of work

-Ask for honest discourse around Factory International from communities and local people

-Work with communities in their spaces to increase opportunities and arts provision locally

-Actively seek ways that we can support communities in line with local needs

Related Content

Sign up ↓