From life on the streets to gainful employment with the Manchester and Salford Boys and Girls Refuge

I have been drawn more and more into the history of the Manchester and Salford Boys and Girls Refuge which is now the Together Trust and with the help of the archivist Liz Sykes have been able to view some of the photographs taken during the late 19th and early 20th centuries of their work with destitute children.  

You can read more about them on the blog at http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Manchester%20and%20Salford%20Boys%20and%20Girls%20Refuges or visit their site at http://www.togethertrust.org.uk/uploads/assets/files/How%20we%20help/Manchester-Salford-Boys-Girls-Homes-1870-1920.pdf

In the early days they helped young boys earn a living from shoe shinning, and opened their own technical school at their Strangeways headquarters on Francis Street.  Picture above of Refuge children employed as   messenger boys and below delivering parcels.

Picture; by courtesy of the Together Trust