In 2025, Something To Aim For was commissioned by Manchester City Council to deliver demographic and capacity-building mapping, research, and development for the city’s Place Partnership – Creativity in Place.
The project set out to understand the cultural landscape of the North Manchester Wards and Wythenshawe, exploring how artists, small arts organisations, community groups, and residents shape creativity locally, and how the city can better support their work.
We used a participatory and data-driven approach and listened to a wide range of voices: CICs, voluntary arts organisations, neighbourhood collectives, sole traders, and residents who take part in cultural activity. Their experiences and ambitions revealed what is thriving, what is missing, and what matters most.
At the heart of the process of the Something To Aim For Cultural Health Check which is built on:
Observing what is happening across the cultural ecosystem
Listening closely to community voices
Asking questions of those with lived experience
Sensing the pulse of Manchester’s cultural life
The result is a report that surfaces overlooked knowledge, highlights community assets, and offers ideas for how Manchester’s cultural sector can grow more connected, equitable, and sustainable.
We are pleased to share the findings in the Creativity in Place report.
This is only the beginning. If you live or work in North Manchester or Wythenshawe, we invite you to continue the conversation by contributing to the Directory, sharing stories, insights, or details of cultural assets in your neighbourhood. Together, these contributions will help grow a living resource that reflects the creativity of communities across Manchester.
