Listening to the story of the Together Trust ..... on YouTube

Now the impact of Covid precautions has made all of us more innovative in how we communicate with each other.

And so it was with the planned launch of the book The Ever Open Door, which tells the story of the Together Trust, which first started work in 1870, offering a bed and a meal to destitute children living in Manchester and Salford.*

It had been commissioned by the Trust to coincide with the 150th anniversary of its founding, and was to be launched at a series of events during 2020.

Of course the events never happened and as the year drew to a close, the decision was taken to record some chapters of the book which would form part of the annual Christmas Concert, along with an item at the end of the charity’s AGM.

Both readings would be part of a power point display featuring images from the work of the Trust over the last 150 years.

And today the first of those readings has been released on YouTube.**

The obvious choice for a reader was me, given that I wrote the book  in collaboration with the Trust’s archivist Liz Sykes.

I make no claims to be the Richard Burton or Lawrence Oliver of the 21st century, but it was fun to do and sits as an Andrew first with the first walk and talk I did back in 2008, and the first power point presentation a year later.

Leaving aside all of that, the audio piece is an extract from chapter one, with pictures from from the Trust’s archives.

And that is it.

The Ever Open Door: 150 years of the Together Trust, Andrew Simpson, The Together Trust, 2020, 140p, £14-99. ISBN 978-1-5272-5671-2. Available from, The Together Trust, https://shop.togethertrust.org.uk/

Picture; courtesy of the Together Trust, https://www.togethertrust.org.uk/

*A Beginning, Chapter One, The Ever Open Door, 150 years of the Together Trust Andrew Simpson, 2020, The Together Trust

** A Beginning, Chapter One, Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADLsibEJP1w