Salford Voices
This is Salford’s story, told by Salford
100 years of Salford
Salford is mint. We’re a city of firsts: from free lending libraries and museums to living wage introductions and working-class movements. Great cities have good ingredients, and we’re made up of dead good people, plenty of pride, and at 100 years old, a pretty bright future, too.
The more you get to know us, the more you’ll realise Salford is a place worth shouting about.
2026 marks 100 years since Salford was officially granted city status, and we’re on a mission to capture what it truly means to be from Salford, putting Salfordians firmly at the heart of the centenary celebrations. Working with cracking community groups and some of Salford’s most adventurous artists, we’re creating a brand-new podcast, art exhibition and pop-up events that’ll showcase our city.
Exploring past, present and future, we want to take you on the journey of a brave, northern city that’s got a lot to say and loads to offer.
Hitting the road
Last summer we started spreading the love for Salford in the lead-up to the city’s big 100th birthday with loads for the whole family to enjoy.
People got crafty with artist Phoebe Foxtrot in our creative corner and stepped into Salford’s story with hands-on activities, helping to reimagine the city’s next 100 years with artist Sarah Hardacre. We collected incredible stories and started recording with you for our podcast with Reform Radio.
We created a centenary celebration book where residents can reflect on what kind of place they would like Salford to be in 100 years’ time – for its people, its communities, and its future? The book will be deposited in the Local History Library at Salford Museum and Art Gallery for future Salfordians to enjoy for years to come.
“Paints a fuller, more truthful portrait of Salford’s identity in 2026: working-class and resilient, yes, but also modern, diverse, and rich in lived experience.” – Thom Bamford, I Love Manchester
Salford Voices banner exhibition
Artists Chris Alton and Emily Simpson have collaborated with residents at Broughton Community Centre to design a series of banners that mark the centenary of Salford’s city status. The group have learned textile and sewing techniques, whilst exploring how banners have been used to express shared values and local pride.
Nine banners make up this exhibition; the largest banner reimagines the coat of arms of the City of Salford and the eight smaller banners feature some of the things that make Salford unique. The banners include visual references to local history, landmarks, wildlife, green spaces, and waterways. They also reference Salford’s industrial heritage, as well as the city’s thriving technology and media businesses. All nine banners are a visual celebration of Salford’s renowned community spirit.
The banners will be on display in Salford Museum and Art Gallery from Saturday 21st February to Saturday 9th May 2026. Further information can be found here.
Salford Voices podcast
Partnering with production company Reform Radio, local Salfordian artists and community groups, we have created a brand new podcast exploring the past, present and future of our city to mark its 100th birthday.
We spoke to members of the community at local festivals and fairs, in schools, libraries, foodbanks, bars and community centres across the city to capture a unique audio archive for future generations to enjoy.
Four 12-minute episodes will be released on 21 April 2026 featuring poems and creative reflections made by local artists and writers in collaboration with Salford community groups and residents, alongside 10 mini-episode profiles of local residents, including Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett.
“Art with Heart is handing the mic to everyday Salfordians and asking them to reflect and reimagine their city.” – Thom Bamford, I Love Manchester
Meet our project partners
Meet our project partners, organisations based in Salford, who have fantastic community connections.
Broughton Community Centre
Broughton Community Centre has served Broughton and Salford for 100 years, and nowadays is a local community hub specifically focusing on ministry and community work on the relief of poverty, food deprivation and social isolation while signposting to specialist agencies and providing facilities for a range of community groups. They value inclusion, justice, sustainability, learning, seeing lives transformed, human dignity and wellbeing.
CommUNITY Little Hulton
Local people making things better for our community. CommUNITY Little Hulton was set up by local Little Hulton residents as a legacy organisation of Little Hulton Big Local. CommUNITY Little Hulton’s missions is to inspire todays youth and bring the community together to enhance everybody’s wellbeing.
Talk About It Mate
Talk About It Mate is a Salford-based social enterprise and proud winner of Salford Community Group of the Year 2024. They create safe, supportive spaces where men can connect, share, and grow through weekly peer-led groups. Using creative approaches, they a growing appreciation for the power of art to support wellbeing. As well as our core groups, Talk About it Mate is now building connections through events beyond the room – like volunteer-led walk and talks – helping men find community, purpose, and a place to belong.
Reform Radio
Finally, let’s meet our brilliant podcast partner! Reform Radio is a production company and not-for-profit arts organisation based in Manchester, UK. Reform runs creative workshops for unemployed people to gain new skills and we support them back into work. They are also a production company, with all the money made from commissions going back into running our workshops and supporting new creative talent in the North West of England.
Creative Team
Meet our artists. Salford talents who have blown us away with their talent and love for the city.
Ben Mellor
Ben Mellor is a writer, performer, facilitator and creative project manager with over twenty years of experience in socially engaged arts and education. He has created seven full length shows which have toured nationally and internationally and won multiple poetry slams, including the BBC Radio 4 National Poetry Slam. He has published two poetry collections with accompanying audio recordings, and delivered workshops and projects for organisations including The British Library, First Story, and Apples & Snakes. Ben has a double BA (Hons) in English and Drama from the University ,of Manchester and a PostGraduate Certificate in Teaching Creative Writing from Cambridge University. Ben has been part of Salford based Islington Mill’s artist community for over a decade and worked across Salford.
Izzy Coward
Izzy is a Manchester based director, dramaturg and facilitator. Izzy has worked with a number of leading organisations in various roles; as a Facilitator and Mentor Director for NT Connections (The National Theatre / The Lowry), as Creative Writing Facilitator and Dramaturg with Northern Broadsides, as a Lead Facilitator with Royal Exchange Theatre working with both the Collective Young Company and The Elders. Izzy regularly works with the Learning and Education department at The Lowry working with young people from low-engagement backgrounds, SEMH, SEND and those with additional learning needs. Izzy has written and performed at spoken word and poetry events for a number of years and is currently working on their first full length theatre show: Hooligan, hopefully due to premier next year. Izzy runs creative projects with young people across Salford.
Jody Findley
Jody’s creative education company, Mindseta, is dedicated to inspiring cultural transformation through creative education and community empowerment. They blend music, theatre, art, and film with traditional educational methods to deliver engaging, impactful learning experiences. Partnering with educators, leaders, and communities, creating inclusive spaces where creativity fosters connection, understanding, and growth. Mindseta’s workshops celebrate diversity and encourage cultural exchange through interactive activities, strengthening community bonds and promoting belonging. Founded by Jody Findley, whose background spans creative industries and educational leadership, Mindseta uses creativity as a powerful tool to empower individuals and transform cultures. Jody has delivered community projects and mentored creatives in Salford.
Matt Concannon
Matt Concannon AKA The Thirsty Poet: Real Talk is an actor, Spoken Word artist, Voice over artist, Teacher and storyteller from Salford. He takes inspiration from personal experiences hoping that it can open conversations and allow people to feel comfortable when discussing topics that can be hard to talk about. REAL TALK. He hits hearts with hope and honesty about Mental health, weaves words to bring order and understanding to political issues and twists tales with a unique flow and style. Taking influence from his love of Rap music and lyrics, and creating his own style pulling from Real connection and conversations and from his Home roots and Greater Manchester.
He has written for companies across the globe, Salford City FC, Manchester Originals; The Hundreds, Forseven, Insights and has had work featured on BBC Radio, and facilitates workshops for all age groups and abilities. Matt’s ultimate aim is to create a space where people can speak their truth in a safe and engaging way, to build a platform of expression in an exciting and liberating way. He is soon to be working with National Football Museum to develop a new programme for schools. Matt was born and raised in Eccles.
Jae Bradley
Jae is an award-winning queer, working-class writer, performer and mental health practitioner, based in Northern England. They write fiction, essays and performance poetry and are the winner of the Northern Debut Award and the Northern Writers Award for Fiction. Jae is the author of a novel, two chapbooks and a free newsletter sharing stories, short films and creative resources for writers, rebels and multi-hyphen misfits. Jae grew up in Little Hulton and Walkden and their family lives in Salford.
Louis Glazzard
Louis Glazzard is a working class writer, born in Yorkshire. His poems have been published nationally by Pan Macmillan, Untitled Voices, Polari Press and more, and broadcasted on BBC Arts and BBC Radio 6. Louis released his debut poetry collection Human Men in 2021 and he facilitates writing workshops for new and emerging writers. He was recently Writer in residence for Melbourne City of Literature and Geelong Regional Libraries. He is currently working on his debut novel and runs Coffee and Poems club in Manchester. Louis has lived and now works in Salford.
Emily Simpson
Emily Simpson is an artist whose socially engaged practice invites people to share experiences of grief through communal activities like sewing, cooking, pickling and grief karaoke. Their recent work explores folklore, natural cycles and tending their dad’s allotment after his death – how grief takes root in the landscape. Emily often shares a collaborative practice with Chris Alton. Together they’ve created large-scale textile installations which explore grief and the language available to communicate it. The hope is that by going public with what living with loss looks like, we can better support each other collectively through the inevitable. Emily grew up in Salford and has a cat called Tofu.
Chris Alton
Chris Alton’s practice spans a range of media and approaches, including; socially engaged projects, artist films, textile banners, and publications. Since 2021, he has been working in collaboration with Emily Simpson on a project regarding grief, the lack of language for expressing it, and the creation of public spaces for it to be shared.
Exhibitions & commissions include; Grief Must be Love With Nowhere to Go, Bloc Projects (2024, with Emily Simpson); Tied to Everything Else, Paradise Works, Salford (2023) The slabs whistle; a song under my wheels, KARST & Take A Part (2022); Survey, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art; Bluecoat, Liverpool; g39, Cardiff; & Jerwood Space, London (2018-19); and Adam Speaks, The National Trust, Croome, Worcestershire (2017). Chris has lived in Salford and is based at Paradise Works Studio.
With thanks
This project has been made possible by the generous support of the GMCA and The Booth Charities. It has been funded by UK Government with support from Salford CVS and Salford City Council. A special thanks to For Housing, Salford, The Radcliffe Trust and to our brilliant partner, Reform Radio.
Donations
We are Art with Heart, and we want to bring together as many people as possible to unlock their creativity and connection to each other. As a registered charity (1205611), donations make it possible to deliver accessible, representative and inclusive projects, to engage more people, employ more freelancers and plan further into the future. Together, we are building Art with Heart, we would love you to join us! CLICK HERE to donate through our Ko-fi campaign.