Barlow Moor Community Association: Stronger Communities Fund

Barlow Moor Community Association (BMCA) are a vital community group who’ve been offering a range of activities, skills-based learning, volunteering opportunities and advocacy for the children, young people & adults who live in their area for over 20 years! In fact, they remain the only community facility existing in the Mersey Bank estate of Chorlton Park ward, and they prove their worth to the community time and time again.

In their own words:

“We take a holistic approach to tackling poverty and acknowledge that this is not simply about a lack of money but also a lack of opportunities and choice”

They applied to our Stronger Communities Fund in early 2021 for £5,000 to fund the provision of an entire year’s worth of their Children & Young People project’s youth & play sessions.

This aspect of their comprehensive project plans to deliver two play sessions per week during term time for children between ages of 5-12, and a weekly session for high school aged children 11-14 all year round. The cost of the work comes to £8,000 – the remainder of which BMCA funded themselves.

They’ve held these sessions before and they proved an amazing way for local children to socialise in a safe and positive environment. Activities they involved the kids in ranged from cooking and sports to crafts and free play, with a focus on building the self-esteem, confidence & communication of all involved. BMCA’s users reside in one of the most deprived areas of Manchester, and their holistic approach to building these young people’s self-worth makes an incredible impact on supporting them in overcoming the disadvantages that come with deprivation.

BMCA told us:

“Thank you to the We Love Manchester Charity for supporting the continuation of our youth and play sessions. Following what has been an extremely difficult year these sessions are needed more than ever. Being able to provide a safe space to play is invaluable to the families we work with and enables us to provide additional support such as Health & Wellbeing and food parcels for the whole family.”

This project is the definition of making a community stronger, which is why we’re delighted to be supporting BMCA through our Stronger Communities Fund. Watch their lovely thank-you video below!