Community Recovery Fund
There was disorder in the UK in Summer 2024 after terrible events in Southport.
The Government provided the worst-hit places with funds for local responses.
We’ve used £600,000 of this Community Recovery Fund on a range of projects. They help tackle hate and prejudice, and bring people together to build stronger communities.
What the fund supports
The money goes to projects that help people feel safe, welcome, and proud of where they live.
They are improving local areas or boosting values that we share. Values like tolerance and empathy. And helping us understand people who are 'not like me'.
These projects will help us to be even better neighbours. And they will make our city safer, stronger and more successful.
Better together
This is just one part of Manchester’s wider work to help our different communities to come together. Along with many other elements of our Bringing Communities Together strategy, this work brings Manchester together to celebrate what we all have in common, and our differences too. It helps us all to understand each other more.
This can lead to more kindness and trust. It helps different groups and communities to get on better. And it helps us all feel a sense of belonging to our city.
Projects the fund supports
We've helped many groups to run events and other schemes. Here are the projects we’ve funded:
- Histories, Stories and Voices. A website for everyone to share their heritage story. It looks at how we show our city's heritage and diversity in public spaces.
- Support for offenders. We funded services that work with those convicted during the disorder. They help offenders to make better choices and change their lives.
- Training and work. Giving refugees skills and training in the kinds of work our city needs doing.
- Learning English. We’re helping people get on and reach their full potential in our city.
- Social and emotional learning for the very young. With their family, they learn what they need to succeed in life. And how inclusion and equality are key to getting on.
- Learning empathy through a love of books. Science shows that stories teach the young to get how others feel. This boosts reading and writing too.
- Extra support for young people at risk. Help to stay on track in areas where youth violence and crime can get in the way of education and a good life for young people.
- Four projects building social ties. Workers are helping youths to mix and learn new skills.
- Communities having a say. Work in different parts of the city making sure that local people are heard, involved and able to influence what matters to them.
- Using creative arts to explore and share. Young people come together to share and explore their stories using the arts to express themselves. They explore how race and hate of Islam affect them.
- Tackling and raising awareness of hate crime (Hate Crime Community Grant). Thirteen groups, each with its own take. Some explain. Some challenge, and some stop hate crime.
- Bringing people together. We’ve funded many projects around the city that bring people from different backgrounds together.
- Islamophobia – exploring how women and girls suffer. A clear picture to help tackle hidden dangers faced by some.
- Skilling up public workers. These sessions teach public workers the skills they need to bring our communities closer together in the face of hate and prejudice. They will bring us a stronger, fairer city.
- Helping us to be more media-savvy. A project looking for misinformation that can fuel trouble. If it's meant to cause tension or destroy trust between us, it suggets a quick, sure response.
Other funding
As well as the Community Recovery Fund, we gave other funding to support local activities too. These brought people together, celebrating the great things happening in our communities. One example is the Harpurhey Together programme. This ran a range of activities, including a parade. The parade celebrated community pride, identity, and the contributions of local people.
Get more information from BSCT@manchester.gov.uk