MAV UK have built strong relationships with schools, colleges, police, local churches, and Manchester city council. However, as MAV UK take the time to look back at a 21-year history, we are most proud of the relationships we have with local people. We believe it is these relationships which gives the charity a proven track record of delivering what local people need.
In July 2018 MAV’s, Making Children & Young People Matter Project celebrated 10 years and we used the 2018-year event to launch the Look Back & Moving Forward project. The new project has a firm commitment to young people in the community and it also provides a space for young people; supporting their mental health as well as their emotional wellbeing.
LBMF was PHASE ONE of a three-year intervention for the development of Hulme Hall. PHASE ONE has provided a valuable space at Hulme Hall for working with children from age 3 to 17. The activity space has been fully operational since November 2019, providing space for counselling and therapeutic interventions, as well as creative activities for young people.
MAV UK delivered workshops which allowed the views and thoughts of students from Levenshulme High School, Wright Robinson College and newly recruited police officers from Greater Manchester Police, to help influence what takes place at Hulme Hall. The workshops which started in early May 2018, looked at the history of MAV UK and its local community. It also addresses the historic issues of gun crime and current issues of knife crime. The knowledge gained from the workshops provided a clear direction for what is needed at MAV UK Community - Hulme Hall. The Heritage Lottery Fund covered the cost of project delivery, historic research and project development. The LBMF was the
result of needs highlighted by the local community. The areas MAV operate have large numbers of minority groups, who are often more at risk of been marginalised from mainstream services, due to barriers such as language, religion, culture and fear. MAV UK Community - Hulme Hall programme, identifies groups most at risk of exclusion. The hall is not only an alternative low-cost community building, it provides free access space for children and young people to make a positive contribution to the local community.
The LBMF project has transformed the kitchen area, this was the most expensive part of PHASE ONE renovation. The total budget for the kitchen was £16,000. It has gained high praise from users and increased user access by 40% for celebration event hire. The total budget of the kitchen was covered by Clothworkers’ Foundation Funding.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented continued service delivery in March 2020. The hall was forced to close to public hire and face to face services were limited, to the most vulnerable. However, MAV UK with the help of previous funders, adjusted PHASE TWO plans. Significant additional funding investment from The Heritage Lottery Fund, allowed MAV UK to prioritise the outside area at Hulme Hall. MAV UK were able to develop a space which was in line with social distancing guidelines. Plans for the outside area were managed by Hebe Creation by Globicon design services. They provided a cost effective outside structure, which allows access from main hall to a decked outside area. Globicon also provided a new interactive website, this allowed better online communication. We are planning to continue working with Globicon as we develop access to all our service provision online.