​The Printworks and Hard Rock Cafe Manchester are celebrating their second annual honey harvest this month, which has amassed an incredible 213 jars of Manchester’s finest #LiveFromTheHive honey. Made by the city’s hard-working honey bees, the #LiveFromTheHive honey is available to buy now from Hard Rock Cafe Manchester, at just £10 a jar. Funds raised from the sale of the honey will go towards the work of the Booth Centre and Forever Manchester.
 
An amazing 320,000 honey bees live on top of The Printworks, in the much-celebrated rooftop eco garden. Launched in 2012, the rooftop garden now hosts four hives and is a hub for nurturing these brilliant little creatures.
 
This year a fantastic 213 jars have been produced by the honey bees, almost doubling the yield from last year’s harvest. Centre Director of The Printworks, Fred Booth, says: “The second honey harvest is the biggest batch yet and has created a real buzz at The Printworks. We are proud to be raising even more money for two outstanding Manchester charities and we’re sure that the jars of honey will go on to become collectors items yet again - we have already taken pre-orders for 99 of the 213 jars.

“The rooftop garden and its produce has gone from strength to strength and we are sure that its success will continue for many years to come.”

Emma Livingstone, Sales and Marketing Manager, Hard Rock Cafe Manchester adds: “After all the hard work everyone has put into looking after the bees over the past twelve months, we are delighted that the honey harvest has gone so well. We hope that the hives continue to thrive and that we can keep using the honey to help local charities.”

To order your own special jar of Printworks honey ​please contact Emma Livingstone and Jack Barton at the Hard Rock Cafe Manchester on 0161 831 6700. 

Celebrating Arts and Homelessness Worldwide

During April 2015, in collaboration with Streetwise Opera and People's Palace Projects we hosted a group of visitors all the way from Brazil as part of With One Voice, an initiative to celebrate the importance of supporting homeless people through the arts.

Amanda Croome, our CEO, will join a group travelling to Brazil in November, including Pete Churchill from Choir with No Name; Terry O’Leary of Cardboard Citizens; Paula Lonegan of Crisis Skylight; Paul Ryan of Café Art; Beth Knowles, a Labour councillor involved in homelessness, and someone with experience of being homeless in Manchester. They hope to pilot the Homeless People’s Movement in Manchester which could have significant ramifications for homelessness policy in the UK. 

Find out more about this exciting project here. 

With One Voice 2014-16 is produced by Streetwise Opera in partnership with People’s Palace Projects and is supported by Arts Council England, British Council Brazil (as part of Transform), and the Calouste Gulbenkian UK Foundation.

On Friday 6th November hundreds of people will join The Manchester Sleepout to highlight some of the hardships that homeless people face every single night. Brave participants have accepted the challenge to sleep outside Manchester Cathedral to help raise awareness and funds for the work of the Booth Centre.

The Manchester Sleepout will raise funds to help the Booth Centre to continue to help people move off the streets and make positive changes to rebuild their lives, just like Dave…

Dave’s story:

‘I lost my job, my relationship broke down and I ended up homeless. I slept rough for 7 months, it was a very dark and scary time in my life. I heard about the Booth Centre through other people on the street and I went along for some help. They helped me get into stable accommodation, and with the support of the centre, I’ve been able to stay in my own flat for 4 years now.

They are always there for me, even though I’m not homeless anymore, they’re still helping me every single day. I volunteer in the kitchen at the centre. It gives me a purpose to my day, a reason to get up, and it’s my way of helping other people like the Booth Centre helped me.

I would encourage anyone who’s thinking about it to get involved with the Sleepout on 6th November. You can experience first-hand a small part of what people have to go through every night, and by supporting the Booth Centre you’ll be doing something really good for homeless people in our city. Nobody should have to live on the streets.’

Sharman Birtles, The High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, is proud to be amongst the participants for the 2015 Manchester Sleepout. During a recent visit to the Booth Centre, Sharman told us why she wanted to get involved:

‘I’m lucky, I have a home and a warm bed, and a support network around me. This is my small way of helping those in our community who aren’t so lucky and have to sleep out on the streets night after night. I really admire the work of the Booth Centre, so I wanted to do my bit by joining their Sleepout this year.’

The Manchester Sleepout has been kindly supported by staff at local tea room, Propertea at Manchester Cathedral, so participants can look forward to a breakfast treat after their challenge under the stars!

Anyone interested in joining the Sleepout for the Booth Centre can register here or by contacting the centre on 0161 835 2499.