Although most people have heard of arthritis, it is in fact only one of over 200 musculoskeletal conditions that together affect 9.6 million adults and 12,000 children in the United Kingdom. Many are not always obviously visible but can still have a substantial impact on people’s quality of life and ability to do everyday tasks.

However, as the Future In Your Hands exhibition shows, people living with a musculoskeletal condition are still able to lead active lives in spite of their diagnosis. The exhibition hopes to raise awareness of people living with a musculoskeletal condition in our communities and show that these conditions are not restricted to older people, but affect people of all ages.

The photography exhibition sees photographers Luke Brooker and Amanda McGovern celebrating people living with a musculoskeletal condition in Greater Manchester and its surrounding areas and highlighting how these people have taken control and are living life to the fullest – the future is in their hands.

James Anderson and Suzan Verstappen, academic colleagues from the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health were involved with the project, said: “Collaborating with our volunteers on The Future in Your Hands project has been both inspiring and a genuine pleasure. Even with the team’s background in musculoskeletal research, our preconceptions about what it means to live with a musculoskeletal condition have been constantly challenged and changed. The exhibition has already had a wide outreach across the North-West, successfully raising awareness of these conditions to hundreds of members of the public, and we hope that the project will continue to inspire the public at future exhibitions.”

• Find out more about the exhibition.