The Together Trust leaves its mark on Manchester building where it all began
A new plaque was unveiled by Cllr Tommy Judge, the present Lord Mayor of Manchester, on Tuesday, marking the Together Trust’s very first home on Quay Street thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Trust was originally founded by local teachers Leonard Shaw and Richard Taylor in January 1870. Led by a sense of duty and social justice to make a difference to the lives of others they opened a night refuge for homeless boys, as no other place of safety was available in Manchester or Salford. From humble beginnings, this pioneering work created a network of services to support those in need long before the introduction of the welfare state that exists today.
Today, we support more than 2,700 children, adults and families each year and continue to champion the rights, needs, and ambitions of looked-after children, people with disabilities, autism and mental health needs.
The unveiling was followed by a civic reception in the Lord Mayor’s Suite in Manchester Central Library, supported by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, along with Giles Gaddum, Acting Chair of Trustees at the Together Trust and a limited number of guests due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The plaque was installed as part of the Manchester City Council commemorative scheme which placed its first commemorative plaque in 1960, and since then has installed over 100 across the city celebrating Manchester’s heritage and historic environment.
