On Wednesday 11 December, the University’s Office for Social Responsibility welcomed local residents and representatives from community groups and VCSEs on to campus to participate in a Manchester 2035 strategy-development workshop. Attendees shared ideas on their vision for the University over the next 10 years as part of the ongoing development of the University’s new strategy, Manchester 2035.

Before the workshop, participants were invited for tea and coffee in the Alan Turing Building, which houses the University’s School of Mathematics. The session began with presentations from Professor Nalin Thakker, Vice-President for Social Responsibility, Professor Richard Jones, Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement, and Mags Bradbury, Head of Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement. After this, participants took part in an online mapping activity where they shared their thoughts and feelings on their relationship with the University. They then engaged with group discussions about what the University currently does well, what it could do better, and what the University should look like in 2035. Many of the participants sharing their expertise and experiences were local residents from Hulme, Moss Side, Rusholme, and Fallowfield.

Professor Richard Jones said that ‘it was brilliant to see our local communities come together to share their vision of how the University should develop over the next 10 years’. One attendee mentioned: ‘I’d like to see the University of Manchester working in partnership with not just Manchester but Greater Manchester, bringing in those talented skills that we all have so that we can work in partnership.’

Talking about the in-person event, another community member said, ‘It’s good to see the University put something like this on, where it shows they’re willing to listen and then work from there.’

The Office for Social Responsibility also hosted an online workshop on Tuesday 3 December.

All of the amazing ideas and feedback shared by our valued partners will be analysed by specialists and will form part of our new and exciting strategy! We thank all of the participants and staff involved for making the event successful.