The ‘Stronger Communities Fund’ is one of the charity’s most successful programmes to date and one it’s “immensely proud” of after having supported over 100 local groups and charities to deliver great work in Manchester’s unbeatable communities throughout the last 10 years, and today’s re-launch and new injection of funds means 2021 is going to be another massive year for the scheme.
But in order for the charity to continue to best help Manchester in its post-COVID recovery work, We Love MCR wants local communities to tell them what they need.
This is why the ‘Stronger Communities Fund’ is callingon community groups and charities to apply for funding for initiatives which celebrate and invest in Manchester’s “vibrant multicultural neighbourhoods and youthful energy”.
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Now that the COVID-19 vaccination programme is well underway right across the UK and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has last week unveiled the government’s roadmap to reopen society and take England out of its current national lockdown in a series of four stages, many community groups are preparing to emerge from a period of hibernation and isolation, and are assessing the holes left in their operations and finances.
We Love MCR Charity is therefore asking Mancunians directly if they know of any groups in their communities that could benefit from a cash grant from the newly re-launched fund.
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Our Stronger Communities Fund has been operating for over 10 years in Mcr!
We're reinforcing the success it has already achieved by: ⬆️ increasing the maximum grant from £2k to £5k ⏰ scrapping the 2 year time limit for re-applications 💰 pledging an extra £215,000 to the fund
So, what does the re-launch of the ‘Stronger Communities Fund’ mean then?
Well, as well as focusing on assisting the city in its recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the fund’s relaunch includes two other new developments – the maximum grant value is increasing from £2,000 to £5,000, and also the two-year time limit after a successful grant application is being scrapped.
As We Love MCR Charity believes in “funding great ideas whenever a community is ready to get started on their project”, these two new developments mean that groups are now able to re-apply to the Stronger Communities Fund just 12 months after a successful award from We Love MCR Charity, as opposed to previously being required to wait two years.
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And if that wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, We Love MCR Charity is also pledging a healthy £215,000 to the fund from 1st April 2021 to reinforce its “commitment to Manchester’s people and communities”.
Speaking on the re-launch of the fund, Councillor Tommy Judge – Lord Mayor of Manchester and Chair of Trustees at We Love MCR Charity – says: “The Stronger Communities Fund re-launch simply could not come at a better time for Manchester [as] the people of this city have lost loved ones, livelihoods and opportunities during this pandemic, and therefore it is the people who are best placed to steer their communities out of the pandemic.
“Often what they need most is support and funding, and We Love MCR Charity will support our city brilliantly now, as it has done for many years.”
Marie O’Neill-Steinegger – Grants Manager at We Love MCR Charity – added: “We’ve supported many amazing groups over the last 10 years, and this year we want to support many more.
“Today we’re underlining our commitment to Manchester’s local groups and charities by offering them our financial support.
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“Our communities know what they need to do to improve things for their neighbours”.
And who could be better positioned to talk about the benefits of the ‘Stronger Communities Fund’ than some of the fund’s recent grant recipients?
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester branch of youth homelessness charity Depaul UK and Nightstop said: “Having all these extra library resources funded by the Stronger Communities Fund is very positive for our residents [as] they can now access the right support and skills before they move on to their own accommodation.
“It also makes our accommodation feel more like a home and less like an institution, which has a huge impact on our residents’ wellbeing”.
A spokesperson for Hoshindo Karate Manchester added: “We Love MCR Charity made the whole process of applying to the Stronger Communities Fund really simple [and] their grant is helping us to empower our young people, at a time when funding for activities for young people is hard to find”.
Do you know an amazing community group or charity that does fantastic work for your area in Manchester and could benefit from the ‘Stronger Communities Fund’?
Then now is your chance to tell We Love MCR Charity all about them.
The fund welcomes applications across four broad themes:
Helping in the Early Years
Combating Loneliness and Social Exclusion
Protecting and Improving our Open Spaces
Offering Positive Youth Activities
To nominate a community group or charity in your area, all you need to do is head on over to We Love MCR Charity’s social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – to give them a shout out, and then visit We Love MCR Charity’s website here to make an application and find out more information.
Or you can email the charity today at [email protected] with your ideas and questions.
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We Love MCR Charity’s Trustees meet monthly to consider applications and to award grants, and the next two deadlines to submit applications for funding are 5th March and 2nd April.
Keen to donate to We Love MCR Charity? You can also do that here.
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Manchester City’s Stadium Tours are back for the summer and bigger than ever
Danny Jones
Manchester City stadium tours are back for summer 2026, with more to see from the home of the Blues than ever, and with 15% off all tickets until the end of August, too.
It’s safe to say that Man City are going through a HUGE period of change right now: embarking on a new era under Enzo Maresca following the dynasty of Pep Guardiola, vast redevelopments of the wider Etihad Campus, a new club hotel, and the expansion of the North Stand – now named after said Catalan coach.
With that in mind, there’s so much new stuff going on over in East Manchester and arguably more of it all happening in one place than we can recall in recent memory, making it the perfect time for Cityzens to return to the famous home ground – indeed, your Etihad debut if you haven’t made one already.
Giving you greater access to areas usually reserved for players and staff only than ever, this exclusive, interactive and virtual tour will take you through the very bones of the storied sporting arena, all the way through to pitchside.
Fans can explore the dressing room and follow in the footsteps of their favourite City players as they walk through the iconic glass players’ tunnel, before walking out into the open air and sitting in the dugout to take in that incredible view.
You can also try out the latest ‘Beyond the Blue Moon’ experience – an immersive VR adventure that sees supporters journey through Manchester City’s past, present, and future.
Following on from Pep lending his likeness, using innovative technology, you can now even have the chance to put your questions to Erling Haaland in the Press Conference Room.
There aren’t many teams on the planet that offer this level of stadium tour, let alone just here in the UK, so it’s no wonder they remain award-winning almost every single year.
Whether you’re a lifelong City fan, a football lover or visiting this wonderful place we call Manchester for the very first time, there’s something for everyone.
For instance, with The Medlock Hotel and accompanying Medlock Square already lining up its maiden events, the City Football Group (CFG) are once again committing to make the wider Etihad Campus an all-year-round entertainment destination.
That being said, plenty of people online have been generating a lot of buzz about the aforementioned Medlock’s new stadium-view rooms since clips appeared on social media.
Pitch view rooms coming to the Radisson Blu Medlock Hotel at #ManCity’s Etihad Stadium. 🤯
As for the tickets themselves, the club have also taken steps to keep the cost affordable.
Standard prices start from just £32 for adults and only £20 for under-16s, with larger family packages available from £60.
BUT, with the 15% discount mentioned earlier, adults currently cost just £27; kids go for just £17, and those family passes start from just £51.
You can find all the options when it comes to stadium tour passes and grab the type of admission that suits you right HERE.
Speaking of tickets, City have also been met with praise for the introduction of new discounted seats for local residents; find out all the details below.
René Meulensteen names the ‘ideal’ signing that Man United appear to be overlooking
Danny Jones
Ex-Manchester United coach René Meulensteen has named the one key signing that he feels the Red Devils are missing out on by not pursuing this summer.
The former Man United assistant, who served under Sir Alex and has recently returned to the backrooms of the English football pyramid, has given his verdict on what he thinks his old club still needs in terms of reinforcements.
Chatting with TipmanTips, the 62-year-old identified the backline as a persisting problem area for now full-time manager Michael Carrick, insisting that they could do with another central defender.
The footballer in question is his fellow countryman, Micky van de Ven – fresh from a new contract with Tottenham Hotspur – who has surprised many by not securing his next big-money move so far in the transfer window.
We are delighted to announce that Micky van de Ven has signed a new contract with the Club!
Speaking in an exclusive interview, he said his Dutch compatriot wouldn’t just be a great rotation player but a starter coming into the 2026/26 season.
“I still think they’re vulnerable at the back”, says Meulensteen, “and that’s one thing Michael is going to have to sort out as soon as possible when the season starts. Finding a centre-back partnership that works and getting some consistency in the back line will be key.
“Harry Maguire is coming off a good end to last season, but he needs some complementary centre-backs next to him, and then also on the right-hand side next to him with Mazraoui and Dalot not really doing anything.”
“I would have been looking at Micky van de Ven from Spurs before he signed a new deal. He’s powerful, he’s quick, he’s got great experience in playing as a left centre back in the Premier League, and he would have given United a very different dynamic in their defence.
He rounded off the recommendation, however late, by arguing that were Maguire to be a mainstay first-choice centre-half for Carrick this season, “van de Ven would’ve meant you wouldn’t have to worry about his lack of pace in behind, as he can cover so much ground recovering.”
As for who they have brought in so far, they’ve managed a well-balanced, albeit limited number of young and experienced talents, including the surprise return of greatest-ever goalscorers (currently 13th on the all-time list at still just 28) in Marcus Rashford.
While he did go on to cite the likes of Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke as a viable alternative, it’s fair to say he would be high up on the shortlist of many fans – and not just United.
On the other hand, we’d once again reiterate that we include ourselves among those stunned that he hasn’t had more suitors floating around of late, especially given he was one of the few bright lights among a side that nearly got relegated last term.
Would you have him as another CB option, Reds?
As for the one-time United assistant, he has recently been introduced to Stockport County FC supporters as the latest addition to the technical staff in an admittedly curious new position…
Emily Sergeant -
3rd March 2021 
