Manchester City Council and one of the city’s most iconic charities has joined forces to launch a fundraising appeal for refugees fleeing Ukraine.
Set up by the Council in partnership with We Love MCR Charity (WLMC), all with the aim of supporting individuals and families fleeing the devastating conflict and arriving here in Manchester, the new MCR Ukraine Welcome Fund will fund charities and voluntary sector groups who are providing assistance – such as essential items, advice, and more.
Every penny raised and donated will go towards supporting Ukrainian evacuees in the city, and the Council has already kicked-off the fund with a donation of £50,000.
So far, the new MCR Ukraine Welcome Fund has already identified Caritas (Salford Diocese) and Europia as charity partners with “considerable experience” of supporting people who arrive in the city with next to nothing.
Further partners are also being brought in, according to the Council and WLMC.
.@MCR_Charity, in partnership with Manchester City Council, is proud to launch the MCR Ukraine Welcome Fund to support Ukrainian evacuees who come to Manchester.
We have proudly kickstarted the fund with a £50,000 donation.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) March 24, 2022
“No one watching the horrific scenes unfolding in Ukraine following the Russian invasion can fail to be moved by the plight of the Ukrainian people,” said Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, on the launch of the fund.
“Manchester stands in solidarity with them and we are ready to play our part, together with towns and cities across Europe, in welcoming evacuees escaping the conflict and the humanitarian disaster it is creating.
“While some people will even be opening their homes to arriving Ukrainians, we know not everyone is in a position to do that, but by donating to this fund you can show you care by helping to provide practical help and support right here in Manchester to those escaping danger and starting to rebuild their lives.”
Joanne Roney OBE – Chief Executive of Manchester City Council said: “I’m glad the Council has been able to make the first donation as we know that Mancunians have big hearts and a proud tradition of hospitality and compassion.
“They will doubtless be generous in helping to welcome Ukrainian families to our city.”
Other organisations getting involved with the fund include Manchester City FC, who will be promoting the campaign on match days at both the Etihad Stadium and Academy Stadium.
What’s more, is that Manchester City Council is also working with other services to coordinate planning for the arrival of Ukrainian refugees under Government schemes – including the recently-launched Homes for Ukraine scheme, which enables UK residents to host Ukrainian evacuees.
The striking new £40 million Tower of Light landmark near Manchester Central Convention Centre will also be illuminated blue and yellow to mark the launch of the fund, so keep your eyes peeled.
You can donate to the MCR Ukraine Welcome Fundhere.
Hundreds of new homes in Mayfield Park given green light
Daisy Jackson
The chance to live in Manchester city centre’s newest park (and one of its only green spaces) has taken a step closer, with plans for new Mayfield Park homes given the green light.
879 apartments have been approved this week, which will have ‘the ultimate front garden’.
The Mayfield district has been undergoing major changes in the last few years, including the redevelopment of Depot Mayfield (into Freight Island, plus a music venue for events like Warehouse Project) and the opening of the beautiful Mayfield Park.
And now hundreds of new one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes will be added to the area, as well as a 40% increase in the size of the park.
The plans for the first homes at Mayfield Park were met with unanimous approval by the City Council’s Planning Committee.
The residences will span across four buildings, with low-rise elements peppered in amongst the taller blocks, and will also be home to restaurants, cafes, and health and wellness facilities.
A new tree-lined road through the development will enhance walking and cycling connectivity from east Manchester into the city centre.
More than 880 jobs will be generated during the construction phase, plus 120 full-time jobs when operational.
Hundreds of new homes in Mayfield Park given green light. Credit: Assembly Studios
The proposals suggest that the apartments will contribute £2 million annually in Council Tax and a major £10 million boost to local businesses through increased spending.
The high-quality homes are designed by Studio Egret West and shedkm, designed to reflect the industrial heritage of the area, including distinctive arches.
20% of the first phase of homes are intended to be classed as affordable housing and will be prioritised for key workers in Manchester.
Henrietta Nowne, Development Director at Landsec, representing The Mayfield Partnership, said: “For the first time, Mancunians will have the ultimate back garden within the award-winning Mayfield Park.
“An opportunity like this hasn’t existed before in Manchester. Since starting on site earlier this month, there’s real momentum building as we continue to grow a green, healthy and connected district in the heart of Manchester.”
The approval marks the next chapter of the continued transformation of the Mayfield district near Piccadilly Station, led by Manchester City Council, TfGM, London Continental Railways (LCR), and Landsec.
Revenue from Manchester’s ‘big gigs’ to go towards supporting local grassroots music venues
Emily Sergeant
Manchester City Council is set to earmark almost £250,000 to support grassroots music venues in the city.
Following on from the success of the city’s huge summer of music, which in recent weeks has seen hundreds of thousands of fans converge in the city to see massive names like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Charlie XCX, Elbow, and Robbie Williams, as well as other talents like Fontaines D.C. and Sam Fender still yet to come.
Oh yeah, and there was also that small matter of Oasis reuniting for five nostalgia-drenched gigs in Manchester’s Heaton Park earlier last month.
Over the course of the summer, it has been estimated that Manchester will have attracted a whopping 1.3 million music tourists, which is being described as a ‘tremendous’ boost for the city’s economy as a whole, especially the hospitality industry.
Revenue made from Manchester’s ‘big gigs’ this summer is to go towards supporting local grassroots music venues / Credit: Eldhose Kuriyan | Joshua Hanson (via Unsplash)
These huge events are also generating income for the Council too, either by being hosted in the city’s largest parks with commercial arrangements for their use, or through the business rates paid by major venues – and it’s this income that has been earmarked to go towards supporting grassroots music venues throughout the city.
As well as reinvesting part of this revenue into parks and greenspaces, the Council is planning to set aside £245,000 to be made available in financial support for Manchester’s grassroots venues.
While exact details are in the process of being finalised, the intention is that the scheme will be administered by the Music Venue Trust to ensure that the money gets to where it is needed as ‘quickly and effectively’ as possible.
It’s estimated that Manchester will have welcomed 1.3 million music tourists before summer’s out / Credit: Nathan Mullet (via Unsplash)
“Manchester is a big noise in the music world,” commented Councillor Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council, “and this summer, all eyes have been on the city as we’ve hosted some huge concerts and seen unprecedented success in our large venues.
“But while the biggest gigs might dominate the headlines, we know they are only possible because they are part of a wider ecosystem, with grassroots venues providing the launchpads for acts to develop and grow.
It's been a BIG summer of music in Manchester.
We've got pioneering plans to use money raised by some of the biggest gigs to support our grassroots venues – a vital ingredient of the city's amazing music scene: https://t.co/8ekQN7AmGBpic.twitter.com/MpVWpeHqbk
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 31, 2025
“We know that across the country, grassroots venues are struggling. That’s why we want to ensure that our grassroots venues can share some of the benefit from the success of those big events.
“We’re blessed in Manchester with an array of great smaller venues.
Emily Sergeant -
24th March 2022 
