All the way back in February 2021, one of the city’s most iconic charities launched a dedicated fund to help determined young Mancunians take the next step in education, entrepreneurship, employment, or training.
It then provides them with the resources needed to achieve these ambitions.
The charity has so far awarded over £70,000 to 45 successful applicants, with an average individual grant of around £1,500, but while the maximum MRSF grant value is publicly stated as £2,000, the charity’s Trustees have on occasions awarded more than this in certain cases, when they see a young person with ambition and a clear need for greater support – and now, that maximum grant award is raising to a life-changing £5,000.
We Love MCR Charity says the ‘Rising Stars Fund’ provides the opportunity for young people to achieve, when the one thing holding them back is their circumstance, and the charity is keen to “remove barriers to success”.
The charity says the raising of the funding limit is so that it doesn’t deter young people whose needs were not covered by the previously-published ceiling of £2,000
In February 2021, we publicly launched the Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund, with the aim of removing financial barriers to success faced by young Mancunians 🌟
£75,000+ and 45 talented Mancs later… We're making a BIG change to the Fund, read below 👇https://t.co/E9NAe3cZIU
As mentioned, in previous instances, higher grants have been awarded by the charity, and one of these cases was Eden – an accomplished singer, pianist, composer and producer who earned himself a place at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire in Scotland to do a BMUs in Vocal Studies, but his chances of taking up that place were slim due to great misfortune in the family, which left him living in a homeless shelter and unable to afford necessary equipment for his course.
The charity’s Trustees awarded Eden £3,900 to not only to purchase the equipment he needed to excel, but also to cover a portion of his accommodation costs to reduce the burden on his shoulders.
More recently, Boshra was awarded £3,600 to embark on an ambitious videography project that she believes will allow her to stand out in the spoken word and performance industry that she has so much passion for.
Despite her long-standing commitment to her artistic craft, and being an active ambassador for the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, she hasn’t had the financial backing to have been able to develop her talent fully, but her infectious energy and enthusiasm gave the Trustees the faith to award a grant above the stated maximum of £2,000.
The higher grant award ultimately gave Boshra the opportunity to fulfil her ambitions.
Eden and Boshra are two of the ambitious young people awarded prior limit-exceeding grants from the MRSF / Credit: We Love MCR Charity
These are just two examples of We Love MCR Charity’s recent successful applicants that demonstrate how vital the raising of the funding limit to £5,000 can be – but the fund’s success stories are never-ending.
As mentioned, We Love MCR Charity has already awarded over £70,000 to dozens of industrious young people throughout the city – but the charity says it is keen to reach £200,000 by March 2022 by finding even more rising stars who need a helping hand.
Did any of the above inspiring success stories remind you of someone who’s a perfect fit for the Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund?
Keen to apply yourself?
People aged 16-24 can apply for funding to pay for what they need to take their next steps to success in work, qualifications or entrepreneurship, as the charity ultimately believes “circumstances should not determine futures”.
You can find more information, and stick an application in here.
Featured Image – WLMC
News
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
“We are definitely going to see the very best of what Rochdale has to offer over the next 12 months and people will come from far and wide to see it.”
Featured Image – Rochdale Council
News
The Lowry Theatre undergoes revamp following Biffa Award grant
Danny Jones
The Lowry in Salford Quays has had a bit of TLC with one of its biggest theatre spaces undergoing a pretty significant refurb this past month.
Following a well-deserved grant distributed via the Biffa Award, a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through community and environmental projects across the UK, the legendary local theatre received nearly £75k last year.
As a result, all 440 seats and various other aspects of The Lowry‘s Quays Theatre have now been renovated and refurbished.
The short story is, she looks more gorgeous than ever – see for yourself:
Being initially handed over in March 2024, The Lowry was awarded a total of £74,816 to reupholster seating in the venue’s Quays Theatre with new padding and fabric.
After almost 25 years of constant use as one of the most popular theatres in the North, the seats in the Quays Theatre were much in need of a refurb, and with work completed in December, Lowry visitors can now enjoy watching the venue’s wide range of theatre, dance, comedy and drama in comfort.
The work was actually carried out between July and December, with seats being carefully removed in batches and reupholstered off-site.
This was made possible due to the Biffa Award’s most recent ‘Cultural Facilities’ theme, which aims to improve recreation, interest and education, drawing funds from the UK government’s wider Landfill Communities Fund.
The old fabric and padding were disposed of sustainably, with lots of it being repurposed where possible to minimise waste and all the new materials used meet current guidance for safety and quality.
The Lowry’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Development, Gwen Oakden, said of the long overdue update:“It is so important that our audiences are able to enjoy our world-class performing arts programme in a comfortable and welcoming space.
“For many visitors to the Quays Theatre, this is their first experience of live performance – often to see a family show or as part of a school trip. We really want it to be the best experience possible, and for them to begin a lifelong relationship with Lowry.
“As a registered charity, without the generous support of this Biffa Award, for which we’re hugely grateful, we couldn’t have carried out this important work for our audiences.
As we head into our 25th Anniversary year, we are delighted to be able to welcome audiences and visitors can enjoy the beautiful and revived Quays Theatre.”
As for the Biffa side of things, Grants Manager Rachel Maidment added: “We are delighted to have supported The Lowry in refurbishing the Quays Theatre seating, ensuring audiences can continue to enjoy performances in comfort.
“Through Biffa’s Cultural Facilities theme, we fund projects that provide engaging and inspiring spaces for communities. The Lowry is a key cultural venue, and we’re proud that our funding, made possible through the government Fund, has helped enhance the experience for visitors for years to come.”
Like most Mancs, we love The Lowry, so here’s to hosting countless more theatregoers in the most comfortable seats possible for generations to come.
We’ve been to some brilliant performances around here of late.
Emily Sergeant -
10th November 2021 
