Changemakers Feature

Find out who our current Changemakers are.

Manchester Carers Centre

Manchester Carers Centre is a local, independent charity delivering a range of high quality support services to meet the needs of unpaid carers from all diverse communities in Manchester. We offer a range of practical support services that make a positive difference to carers’ lives.

We provide FREE community services for carers in Manchester, including: practical help, community drop-ins to meet other carers, breaks and social activities, and access to grants and training.

If you would like to support Manchester Carers Centre you can do so following this link to our Just Giving Page. Your support will help us make sure local carers are not coping alone and are receiving the right support for their needs.

Greater Manchester & District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (GMD CND)

GMD CND campaigns to rid the world of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, and to prevent wars where nuclear weapons might be used. GMD CND will continue campaigning until, at the very least, Britain has got rid of these weapons and a global abolition treaty is negotiated.

Omega Research Foundation

The Omega Research Foundation is an independent UK-based research organisation.
We undertake research into the manufacture, trade in, and use of, military, security, and police technologies worldwide.

This research is used to develop and monitor effective trade controls and standards on the manufacture, trade, and use of military, security, and police equipment; hold governments to account; challenge questionable exports of equipment; educate policy makers, journalist and human rights monitors; and aid in seeking redress for torture survivors.

Waymarking

Community-led planning, regeneration, and economic development with a creative cultural twist. What are the futures of cities and towns, and how will we all live together in them?

Waymarking’s core question is reflected upon and directly addressed in collaboration with a range of partners: through research; delivering projects that make a difference; sharing and embedding ideas and approaches. We facilitate communities to actively participate in how neighbourhoods change and develop, and make connections that enable dialogue and collaboration across discipline sectors. Creativity and innovation are central to Waymarking’s co-designed explorations of place-making and place-shaping.

Services:

Community consultation and engagement
Technical planning skills
Research and development
Community economic development
Community business expertise
Facilitation
Cross-sector partnership working
Arts and cultural consultancy
Professional development and training
Projects and events development and management
Strategic development
Evaluation

Planet Hydrogen

For the displacement of all fossil fuels, and the chance to reverse global warming.

If you are concerned about climate change, which leads to global warming and accumulating stresses on our landscapes, our agriculture, and on future generations, it is worth looking at these three keys, the “Three R’s” of climate restoration:

Restraint in all energy use (an obvious first step)
Re-fuelling the whole human endeavour, in favour of hydrogen, whose combustion produces none of the harmful effects of coal, oil and gas. Such hydrogen would be generated from water (H20) using excess electricity from sun and wind power. Promising projects are already in operation all over the world, including in the UK.
Retrieval of the growing excess of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and its safe and permanent immobilisation.

Contact: Mike Koefman, Planet Hydrogen’s outreach worker here at Bridge 5 Mill.

Music Action International

Music Action International are people from across the world using the power of creativity to overcome the effects of war, torture and displacement. Our specialist team, many of whom have themselves experienced the effects of war and armed conflict, are trained to support highly traumatised survivors through innovative music programmes that improve mental and emotional health, build trust, and connect divided communities.

The Kindling Trust

The Kindling Trust is a grassroots social and environmental change organisation based in Manchester. Our work is largely based around food: establishing and supporting progressive initiative within Greater Manchester that are not only helping to transform our city’s food system, but which also demonstrate the potential for a radically different way of doing things.

You can volunteer with us at our main horticulture site in Stockport, Woodbank Community Food Hub, or head to our website for all sorts of other volunteering and training opportunities, and community-based events and activities.

Veg Box People

Veg Box People is part of the family of enterprises incubated & supported by the Kindling Trust. It was started because of the impact of the current food industry on the environment, on our high streets, on small-scale farmers and ultimately ourselves as consumers.

The organic box scheme was launched in the summer of 2015, in partnership with the University of Manchester. Veg Box People connects Greater Manchester residents with some of the freshest most local organic produce around. Delivering to community ‘hubs’ rather than individual homes saves on transport, means customers don’t have to wait in for delivery, and keeps the scheme really affordable.

You can sign up to receive a weekly veg bag by visiting their website, and see which collection point is closest to you!

Streetwrk

Founded in 2020, by Manchester based Emma Naughton, Streetwrk is the Vintage sportswear brand with a twist, taking the pre-loved, the second-hand and the retro and re-working them into unique, one of a kind pieces.

For Emma the dream was always to be the founder of her very own brand. But considering the fashion industry’s current contributions to the already chocka-blocked landfills and charity shop’s, she decided not to add to the problem, but to be a part of the solution. Enter Streetwrk, providing sick new clothing without the fast-fashion guilt.

Sustainability has always been at the core of the brand. All pieces are designed, re-worked and created by Emma using only second-hand and vintage sportswear. All off-cuts are re-used for future re-works and all packaging is recyclable. And let’s not forget about the care and detail that is worked, or rather re-worked, into every garment providing a whole new lease of life for previously discarded clothing.

Carbon Co-op

Carbon Co-op are a not-for-profit social enterprise providing the tools, knowledge and expertise that people and communities need to make big reductions in their home energy use. Their primary aim is to ensure domestic carbon emissions are radically reduced in order to avoid runaway climate change.
As a Community Benefit Society they are owned by their individual householder members, with a board elected by the membership at the annual general meeting of the society.
They carry out work and offer services for householder members as well as carrying out consultancy work for like-minded organisations.

Their activities cover a range of areas:

Inspiring: authoring case studies, information and inspiration
Connecting: providing advice, bringing householders together, building a network of suppliers and installers
Training: running specialist seminars, info nights and workshops
Expertise: offering quality, independent technical assistance, assessments and consultancy
Shifting the debate: carrying out innovative new research projects influencing UK policy

threadUp

ThreadUp is a private counselling practice offering services mainly to creative individuals who are suffering from mental health and emotional difficulties. It is run by Rafaela Nunes, a professional counsellor who wants to help the creative community overcome difficulties and blocks, so that we can all feel the benefits of creativity.

Sheba Arts

Sheba Arts is a migrant-artist led organisation working across greater Manchester. We set up in 2018 and since have grown to become the major migrant arts organisation in Manchester. We co-create with, platform and develop people from migrant and refugee communities.

We have become a resident of 5 Mill since November 2021 and proud to be part of this amazing community.

As a CIC (Community Interest Company) they work with the local community, alongside people from migrant and refugee communities, to deliver artistic projects across Greater Manchester.

Aims:

To challenge preconceptions and barriers experienced by people from migrant communities through high quality performance, education projects and research.
To harness the energy of diverse participants into coherent and life-affirming creative projects.
To promote emerging artists from migrant and refugee communities.

Visions:

To have an inclusive, equally represented and just society.

Boca Films

Boca films craft ideas and concepts into visual stories that have a real impact. Whether promotional videos, short films, or animations, they can cover most bases.
Boca films are a two-man band who have over 10 years of experience working together to create beautiful imagery to tell the best stories of Greater Manchester and beyond.