Please note: this post is 90 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only
Welcome to Manchester Cares!
Manchester Cares is a community network of young professionals and older neighbours hanging out and helping one another in our rapidly changing city.
We do this because while Manchester is one of the greatest cities on earth – a hotbed of culture, dynamism, business and progress – it can also feel anonymous and sometimes isolating.
For older people in particular, the pace of change in the city can sometimes now feel too much. Getting around isn't easy, and trends including globalisation, digitisation and rapid community transformation can leave people feeling left behind.
Meanwhile, the young people who bring so much to our city can often feel out of step too. Social media, transience and FOMO can sometimes leave people craving more – more of the heritage, community and connection that make Manchester so special but which can feel distant in the rush of the day-to-day.
Indeed, people over 75 are the loneliest group in the country, while younger people from 21 to 25 and 25 to 35 – often without local family of their own and still trying to make their way – are the second and third loneliest.
Beginning programmes in 2017, Manchester Cares will seek to fix that, and to make sure that younger and older neighbours alike can benefit from the excitement, energy, solidarity and sense of belonging we all crave – even as our city transforms in front of our eyes.
Manchester Cares is part of The Cares Family of community networks. It is based on a model successfully developed over six years in north London and south London. It will benefit from the experience, infrastructure and model of that heritage.
But it is also uniquely Mancunian. The social clubs, one-to-one friendships, pro-active outreach and community fundraising programmes we develop over the coming months and years to bring older and younger people together will harness the Mancunian Way – with personality, spirit, fun and humour at their heart.
Our activities will seek to bring the authentic, always changing spirit of the city to the table for all participants – helping to make sure that people can feel part of the rapidly changing world, rather than left behind by it.
We need you to power that journey.
We need young Mancunians who share our vision to lead Manchester Cares and spend time with their older neighbours. We need people in local government and in the voluntary and community sector to partner with us to create the most exciting activities we can. We need businesses to offer 'back to work' visits.
And, very soon, we'll need you to share our new job description with your friends or to apply to lead Manchester Cares yourself – so that we can begin to build a team of local people to make Manchester Cares a lasting reality and a mainstay of community in the city. We can't wait to get started!