Executive Summary

Manchester Histories works collaboratively to reveal and celebrate the stories of the people and places of Greater Manchester. They connect people through histories and heritage to explore the past and shape the future, valuing all voices in the telling, preserving, and celebrating of people’s stories. They run a year long public engagement programme and produce the biennial Manchester Histories Festival.

This year, the festival returned for its eighth edition which was themed around the history of climate change. The festival took place over five days with 54 events including a wide array of workshops, talks, performances, exhibitions, and walking tours which were split across four main venues including Manchester Central Library, Manchester Monastery (Gorton), Angel Meadow Park, and Gallery Oldham. This attracted an estimated 22,164 visits over the course of these five days (inclusive of online visits, repeat visits, artists, and performers).

This year’s festival also involved the successful trial of the new Manchester Histories Hub in Manchester Central Library which provided an intimate and communal setting for workshops and talks. The experiences of using this space at this year’s festival will provide the grounding for the delivery of future events and festivals.

Zero Carbon Cities: Targeting Climate Change

Michael Wood