Macc’s purpose is to encourage, support and develop voluntary and community groups and individuals to have a real influence over the places and communities in which they live. So for that reason alone, we’re supporting the People’s Plan as a non-partisan, citizen-led movement bringing new and seldom-heard voices into the conversation about the future of Greater Manchester.
This Manchester City Council report marks the end of their Community Strategy approved in 2006. It details the 'period of transformational change' seen in the city over the last ten years. It also sets out a number of issues still to be resolved and states that some inequalities and challenges have been made worse by the impact of welfare reform and cuts to public services. 
Spirit Story was a week-long campaign held in September 2016 to document the extraordinary everyday stories of our sector. VCSE organisations were asked to choose one day during the week of 19-23 September and tell us about an activity that took place which included food distribution, advice sessions, support groups and a sporting memories session.
We gathered 32 stories which are now in a dedicated place on the Macc website - https://www.manchestercommunitycentral.org/spirit-story-0
We streamed our Spirit of Manchester Awards live, on Thursday 6 October.
You can watch our awards ceremony below.
Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Leicester are leading a project to improve their understanding of domestic gardens in Manchester and the benefits they provide to people and nature.
Live in Manchester? Tell Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Leicester about your back yard, find out more about how to improve the environment in Manchester and enter a prize draw to win £500 of shopping vouchers.
Watch our Chief Executive, Mike Wild talk about our upcoming Spirit of Manchester Awards on That's Manchester TV
Ten Marrow Barrows regulars attended a session in Birley Fields Orchard today, Friday 23rd September. Victoria is one of them. She’s been coming to Marrow Barrows sessions, a group for people with complex needs, for some time now and she loves doing something that she’s never done before, getting her hands mucky whilst having a relaxing chat.
Coming to this Hulme Garden Centre gardening project boosted her confidence and she found herself “able to speak to more people”. She regularly attends the session on Friday mornings and uses the knowledge and experience she has gained.
“I would struggle financially and turn to crime in order to get food”. Eric was referred to one of the organisations Fareshare delivers to, Mustard Tree, after moving from homelessness into his first tenancy. He likes everything about the Food Club he is a part of and is glad it is here.
Sow the City is a social enterprise on a mission. It wants to take vacant and derelict bits of Manchester and turn each one into a green oasis, where members of the community are supported to design a garden to grow their own fruit and vegetables. They have already worked with over 80 community groups in Manchester to do this, and today was a step closer to starting work on a new site.
Our State of the Sector Survey in 2013 found that there were 3,093 voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in Manchester, with an estimated income of £477 million. The sector employed the equivalent of 12,400 full time staff and 94,300 volunteers gave 370,000 hours, with an estimated value of £332 million. Decision makers took note of the survey results, we know it increased their understanding of the sector. Some of the key facts (3093 organisations, 94,300 volunteers) are now widely quoted by colleagues in the Council, the NHS and other bodies such as Big Lottery Fund.