Launch of the Greater Manchester Savers Network

Since March 2016 and following a series of exchanges with the South African Alliance affiliated with Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI), a small number of women in a neighbourhood ranked in the top 1 percent (%) most deprived in England called Benchill, began a savings scheme. In 2017, Mums Mart co-designed an action research programme under the Mistra Urban Futures research centre called Community-led Organising: Seeing from the South.
The action research involved adapting some of the approaches and ideas of SDI for the UK context while carrying out research about the opportunities and challenges for grass roots resident-led organising in low income areas of Greater Manchester.

Mums Mart have now mobilised an additional three women-led savings groups across Greater Manchester and have built relationships with resident-led groups in 12 (twelve) different neighbourhoods across the city region. On Sunday 9th June they launched their new website and a short film about savings-based organising in Manchester at a Manchester Inner City Exchange event they have organised for resident-led groups.  

During the event, residents groups will exchange experiences of changes in their neighbourhood over time, and what they are doing locally to claim land and buildings, to plan for local priorities, or to rebuild trust and stronger community relations. As well as learning about savings-based organising, there will be sessions on community land trusts, neighbourhood plans and inspiring stories of successful community action.