Team history

Fairbridge in Greater Manchester was established in 1993 in Bizaar Street Salford and it moved to its current premises in Maple House on Cemetery Road in August 2000. The team originally had four team members moving up to its present 19 full time staff delivering 24 access courses per year, plus a packed and diverse follow on programme that includes activities from circus skills to survival days! In total we work with 350 young people a year aged 13-25 from some of the most deprived areas of Greater Manchester.

Our move to Maple House meant a big step forward for us. We were able to deliver a more varied programme from our bigger premises and install a large kitchen for the young people to practice their culinary skills. We also have an IT suite, art room, chill out room and 2 large group rooms.

Since 1997 we were delivering services in Bolton and Rochdale on a satellite basis. In April 2008 our North Manchester team took over the full delivery of services to these areas along with Oldham, Bury and Wigan, leaving us to expand our provision in the other 5 boroughs of Greater Manchester.

In the year 2000, we secured contracts for the delivery of support projects for the Youth Inclusion Programme (YIP) and Positive Futures (PF), firmly underlining Fairbridge as a respected and successful means of support for the hardest to reach young people. The launch ceremony was attended by Alex Ferguson, Andy Cole, Trevor Brooking, Tanni Grey –Thompson and our now Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The effectiveness of our work led to Fairbridge being sited as an example of best practice in the Whitbread enquiry chaired by Lord Ramsbotham and mentioned in David Conn’s book ‘The Beautiful Game’.

Our regular fundraising events have been a huge success and raise considerable funds for the team. These include a Golf Day, Football tournament, corporate challenge days and places in the Greater Manchester run.

We have regular agency and partnership days so that those we already work with and agencies who would like to know a little more can come into the centre and see for themselves who we are and what we do.