Projects & Networks

The partnership includes On Top of the World Project, CLASS, One Manchester housing association and academics at the University of Manchester and Manchester School of Architecture. The tenants are now organised as ‘Aquarius Savers’, bringing together representatives from across four tower blocks to take forward a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community Model (NORC). The model is focused on enabling older people to ‘age well’ in the place they call home, without having to re-locate in late life.

The network formed after residents were experiencing anxiety about a regeneration programme that went wrong following the 2008 financial crash. Miles Platting Savers brought local groups, projects, and residents into dialogue, to talk about working together and address the asset stripping that had torn their community apart…. And MPCAN was born! Since then, they have created a shared vision for their area and successfully advocated for a range of interventions and developments. Most recently, MPCAN has been awarded £40,000 to develop a wildlife corridor through the neighbourhood, where air pollution exceeds the World Health Organisation’s guideline limit. The project will protect and improve green space, increase biodiversity, and intensify carbon capture on the edge of Manchester City Centre.

The women represent a broad range of interests and identities, including – Carers, SEND parents, women with autism and learning disabilities, women seeking asylum or recently granted leave to remain, survivors of domestic abuse and women from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Over the first 18 months, leaders have invested significant time in building trust and confidence. They have worked on skills development (including a bi-lateral exchange visits between the groups), storytelling and listening and the development of some shared values.