Children across Greater Manchester took part in inspirational campaign ‘Show Me Home’

How do you talk to your children about homelessness? What do you say when they ask you about the person they saw with their sleeping bag on the street? What do you do if they tell you their friend is sleeping on someone else's sofa?

Homelessness takes many forms, and talking to our children about the experience of homelessness and rough sleeping can be a challenge. That's why we introduced 'Show Me Home'. A campaign to not only raise funds for the work of Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity, but to also start conversations with children and raise awareness of both the importance of home, and the experience of homelessness.

Earlier this year, we invited schools to participate in our brand-new campaign, using art as a means to connect and engage with children about the value of home.

Children were asked to create a piece of art under the theme of 'Show Me Home', with many expressing ideas of love, safety and family. For some, they also explored the absence of home and the experience of homelessness. The results were truly remarkable.

The six schools that took part; Flixton Girls in Urmston, Manor Academy, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, St Anne’s CE Primary in Sale, Brookburn Primary from Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and Christ The King RC Primary from Manchester, submitted some of their top entries to a panel of our judges.

The judges had a difficult task shortlisting the pieces to display, and curating an incredibly evocative exhibition that was hosted in Contemporary Six, culminating on World Homeless Day - 10th October 2023.

The judging panel included members of the Homelessness Prevention team in Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Together, Microsoft, artist Ghislaine Howard and gallery owner, Alex Reuben. The top three – Jessica, Jesse, and Cartiona – were awarded prizes, generously donated by Manchester Art Gallery and Cass Art.

The three winning artists and their families joined Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity and partners at a private viewing of their pieces in the wider exhibition.

We were delighted with the responses for our first campaign of Show Me Home, and are already working with Microsoft and Contemporary Six to create a bigger campaign for 2024.

If you're reading this and have children at a school in Greater Manchester, get in touch to find out how to sign up for the next event.

Salford Red Devils continued to tackle the tough stuff as they partnered with us for our first ever Circle Home. Joining as champion partners for the campaign, we kicked off proceedings at their stadium on Friday 8th September.

Representatives from Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and our partners, including charity partner WHAG, Ambassador Katie Robson, and supporters from Roland Dransfield, headed out on the first walk of the campaign with GM Ringway’s Andrew Read leading the way.

We were delighted to have the full squad celebrating the initiative and the opportunity to welcome new Ambassador for the Charity, Head Coach Paul Rowley.

The Circle Home weekend culminated in a celebration at the nail-biting home game for Salford Reds against Warrington Wolves. Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and some of our charity partners took to the field at half time in a celebratory pitch walk as our Chair, Tim Heatley, shared with the crowd just why we were there. It was great to walk alongside Caritas Salford, Boaz, WHAG, GMBOP and GM Moving all with one collective mission in mind: to tackle homelessness.

Salford Reds won the game with a dramatic golden-point try, keeping everyone on their toes right up to the final whistle. But the biggest win of all was the celebration of the work of everyone in Greater Manchester coming together to end homelessness.

Greater Manchester pulled together raising over £15,000 for Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.

Thursday 17th August saw 26 teams battle it out to be crowned ‘Greater Manchester’s Strongest Team’, raising thousands of pounds in the process.

In the iconic Greater Manchester Central Hall, usually home to concerts and exhibitions a more unique event took place on Thursday 17 August. These historic vaulted arches provided the backdrop for 26 teams of 5 to pull a bright yellow bee network bus 30-meters to the finish line.

Pulling the equivalent of two adult elephants, the energy and enthusiasm of all 26 teams filled the large and spacious Manchester Central Hall. Each team had their own unique techniques and tactics which created a toughly fought and extremely close competition. But, the team who came out on top, with an admirable time of 00:27:69, were Resources Solutions’ team, ‘RS on the Pull’. In second place, Total Demolition's pulled the bus across the finish line in a time of 00:27:97. As you can see, the competition was extremely tight!. Mere milliseconds separated the teams which made for a tense but exciting atmosphere throughout the day.

Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity are never shy of unique fundraisers. Be it a DJ Battle, sponsored walk or a bus pulling event the Greater Manchester community’s engagement and enthusiasm is inspiring. In the latest of our exciting new calendar of events, we raised over £15,000 for the pioneering scheme, A Bed Every Night.

This money will help provide 500 extra nights of accommodation to any individuals at risk of experiencing homelessness across the city-region. It will also offer accommodation and much-needed care to those already sleeping rough. Since the launch of Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity in 2019, it has funded over 70,000 nights of emergency accommodation. It is through inventive fundraisers like this and the incredible support of the Greater Manchester community that the charity can continue to grow.

With the support of Greater Manchester, we can continue to provide a financial safety net for organisations supporting people who are experiencing homelessness. And, we can continue to provide opportunities for organisations that want to grow their support for individuals at risk of experiencing homelessness or experiencing homelessness.

Andy Burnham, patron of Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, said:

‘That really was an incredible event with a real buzz in the room. This was more than a physical challenge, it was a display of the strength and unity of our city-region pulling together to end homelessness, as we prepare for the Bee Network launch. Everyone should have a home, and everyone should have a bed for a night. The funds we raised help make that possible. Thank you to everyone who participated and donated.”

Over £15,000 was raised at the inaugural Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity’s annual charity dinner.

Businesses from across Greater Manchester did their bit to help end rough sleeping and homelessness, raising over £15,000 for the charity.

Hundreds of people from businesses spanning the city region’s private sector descended on the city’s New Century venue for the first ever charity dinner hosted by the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.

The ‘An Evening With…’ event, hosted by Matty White, saw Mayor Andy Burnham take to the stage for a Q&A, with guests enjoying food from New Century’s indie vendors, DJs and a charity raffle boosting fundraising efforts. There was a poignant moment when Invisible Manchester performed a poem by Danny, a well-known character in the city known for his heartfelt poetry, who sadly passed away in 2022. Part of Invisible Cities, the social enterprise trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city.

Patron of the charity, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:

“It was really inspiring to see so many of our business community come together on the night in support of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity. The energy in the room was clear to see, and we have raised some valuable funds that will help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, while also raising awareness of the incredible work of the charity and what the money they raise does in our city region.

What we’re doing in the city-region is working. The charity is playing a big role in reducing rough sleeping, but we need the public to continue to support us so that we can help more people and not let this cost of living crisis lead to another rise in rough sleeping.”

Tim Heatley, Chair of Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity said:

“No one person or organisation can single-handedly solve the complex challenge of homelessness in our city region – it takes proper collaboration and a wave of support. We’ve witnessed that over and over, with people giving what they can to support a good cause. We were blown away by the passion and determination from Greater Manchester’s businesses who showed up to New Century and gave A Bed Every Night another welcome boost to ensure support for those at risk of rough sleeping continues.”

Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity are grateful to their sponsors for support in delivering the event, including Artorious, Jen Harrison Construction and Deloitte, and for partners Elevate, Invisible Manchester, Gooey, GigPig and Spaces & Stories.

In January 2023, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity Raised the Roof once more with a very special solo gig from The Courteeners’ own Liam Fray.

Liam played to a sold out O2 Ritz Manchester supported by the wonderful Rianne Downey. It was an incredible night with the crowd belting out every word as they celebrated the 15th anniversary of the now number 1 album, St Jude!

Liam Fray and The Courteeners donated proceeds from the ticket sales alongside album sales from the night to Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity to support the flagship scheme, A Bed Every Night. We raised an incredible £25k which covers more than 800 nights accommodation for people who would otherwise face a night rough sleeping in the city region.

Manchester Cathedral was filled with the glorious melodies and refrains of Handel’s Messiah, performed by the talented musicians and singers of Manchester Baroque.

For many people, attending a performance of Handel’s Messiah is an essential part of the seasonal festivities. Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity were delighted Manchester Baroque dedicated their annual performance to the charity in support of the flagship scheme, A Bed Every Night.

Our patron, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, welcomed the partnership:

“We know that this winter the cost-of-living crisis is going to put huge pressure on people’s finances, and those already living on the edge could be pushed over it.

That’s why we’re so grateful to Manchester Cathedral and Manchester Baroque for dedicating their annual performance of the Messiah towards A Bed Every Night. The money raised will be vital in helping to ensure that we can offer a place of safety and support to those that need it the most this winter."

Greater Manchester welcomed a music battle like no other as Mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram went head-to-head in a DJ battle at Mayfield Depot, a night powered by the iconic and globally recognised club, The Warehouse Project.

Playing to an ecstatic crowd, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram pitted the music of Manchester and Liverpool against each other. Ashton-under-Lyne’s MP Angela Rayner stole the show, joining Andy Burnham on stage to play N-Trance’s ‘Set You Free’.

Alongside Angela Rayner, Manchester was represented by Happy Monday’s Rowetta, Stanly Chow and Inspiral Carpet’s Clint Boon. For Liverpool, Peter Reid, Echo & the Bunnymen’s Ian McCullock, The Farm and actress Sue Johnston all joined Steve Rotheram to champion the Meryside contingent.

Tim Heatley, Chair of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, said:

"It was just an epic night, with a really positive vibe. We can’t thank everyone enough who gave up their time and showed up to support a really worth cause.

Those on the decks were all on top form and it means a lot that so many people continue to get behind of our efforts to support people at risk of homelessness when they need it most. To everyone who turned out, bought a drink, made a donation and danced all night – a massive thank you.”

Raising over £20,000, the event funded more than 600 nights of accommodation in the flagship scheme, A Bed Every Night.

While Manchester definitely hold the crown for DJ Battle round 1, will we retain the title for round 2?

Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and the flagship, unrivalled emergency response scheme, A Bed Every Night, were the beneficiaries of legendary football match featuring some legendary players!

Playing in front of a packed out stadium, it was a true display of unity with both Manchester’s Red and Blue teams pulling together to stand against homelessness.

Before the game even kicked off Vincent Kompany had raised more than £300,000 for A Bed Every Night with Tackle4MCR, adding more funds to the pot with a subsequent testimonial dinner. The continued support and commitment of Vincent Kompany to tackling homelessness is an incredible example of the generosity and spirit of the people of Greater Manchester.

The Courteeners, Blossoms, Bugzy Malone, Lisa Stansfield and Dr John Cooper Clarke raised the roof at O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. Joined by a host of other surprise guests from sport, TV and comedy,  the night was a huge success.

Music fans of Greater Manchester made a £10 donation to the charity all with the hopes of winning one of 1,600 pairs of tickets to the exclusive gig.

We raised more than £100,000 from the concert on what was a truly electric evening.

Tim Heatley, Chair of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, said:

“I’d like to say thank you to everyone involved in making Raise the Roof not just a fantastic moment but also a lasting legacy, with more than £100,000 raised to tackle homelessness in the city-region.

The event showed what can be done when Greater Manchester’s music, arts and business communities join together. Whether it was people’s hard work, donations or performance on the night we achieved something special. We don’t walk on by when people need help, we come together to make things happen.

I’m delighted to be able to confirm on behalf of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity that we want to make Raise The Roof a regular event in the city-region’s calendar. Thank you to everyone who’s been involved so far and we look forward to announcing further details early next year on the next concert.”

Courteeners lead singer Liam Fray said:

“Rough sleeping on the streets of Greater Manchester is a crisis all of us need to confront and by joining forces we can really make a difference.”

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:

“Raise The Roof saw a 3,500-strong crowd come together to do exactly what it said on the tin. It was a brilliant night, with an amazing atmosphere, and I want to thank everyone who came. But I also want to thank everyone who put their name into the hat for tickets but were unsuccessful. Your support is hugely appreciated.

“My main thanks, though, go to Courteeners, Blossoms, Bugzy Malone, Dr John Cooper Clarke, Lisa Stansfield, Valve and Sunta Templeton for putting on an unforgettable evening, as well as promoter SJM Concerts and various supporting businesses across Greater Manchester who helped to make it happen.

“Raise the Roof has raised over £100,000 which is a huge amount for a first event. This money has helped give us confidence to extend A Bed Every Night for another year and that’s why we’re so grateful to everyone who was part of it.

“As a snapshot, on one night earlier this month, almost 300 people were indoors thanks to A Bed Every Night. Since the scheme started last November, nearly 670 people have been helped through it into more suitable accommodation.

“Early next month we will set out plans for Phase 2 of A Bed Every Night and people will be able to see the difference this money will make.”