Supporting Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Youth Service.
In May 2027, Manchester reaches a moment that is as heavy as it is meaningful — ten years since the night our city was changed forever. The Manchester Arena bombing took 22 beautiful lives, shattered countless others, and left a mark that time alone could never erase. Yet in the decade since, something extraordinary has grown from that pain: a community that refuses to let darkness have the final word.
As the Manchester Survivors Choir CIC, we have walked this journey together — through grief, through healing, through the quiet moments when singing was the only way to breathe again. On 23rd May 2027, we will stand on the stage at Bridgewater Hall for a special 10th Anniversary concert, not just to remember what was lost, but to honour the strength, love, and unity that carried us forward.
This year, we are also launching the Bee Busy project — a gentle, hopeful invitation for children, families, and community groups to help us knit 2,000 bees. Each bee is a small act of kindness, a moment of calm, a reminder that healing can be found in the simplest of shared creations. The Worker Bee has always been part of Manchester’s story, but after 2017 it became something more — a symbol of who we are when we stand together: resilient, compassionate, unbreakable.
And there is still so much need. The Youth Service at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, created in 2022 by the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, is a lifeline for young people facing long-term physical and mental health challenges. It helps them understand their conditions, navigate frightening appointments, build confidence, and meet others who truly understand what they’re going through. It gives them a place to feel seen, supported, and less alone — something every young person deserves.
This is where you can help turn remembrance into something powerful.
Every bee sold directly supports this Youth Service, and our goal is to raise £50,000 by the time we gather at Bridgewater Hall. Your generosity will help ensure that young people receive the care, guidance, and emotional support they need — here in Manchester, and as a model of hope for hospitals everywhere.
For ten years, we have built a community where survivors and families can heal, create, and grow stronger together. Now, we invite you to stand with us. Be part of this journey. Help us honour the past by shaping a kinder future.
Your support can change a young person’s life.
Your kindness can help them keep going.
Please donate today.
About Manchester Foundation Trust Charity
The Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) Youth Service at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is a pioneering initiative funded by the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity. It is one of only three specialized youth services of its kind inside an NHS children’s hospital across the entire United Kingdom.
Core Focus & Mission
- Specialized Transition Care: The service specifically helps young patients aged 11 to 25 who live with long-term, complex medical conditions safely navigate the transition from paediatric healthcare over to adult medical services.
- Patient Advocacy: Dedicated hospital youth workers offer personalized guidance, ensuring young people have their voices heard, feel validated, and build the confidence necessary to manage their own healthcare routines.
- Individualized Support: Every young person paired with the team receives a tailored care plan designed to fit their physical, mental, and social requirements.
Key Amenities & Activities
- Dedicated Youth Club: Opened in November 2022, the hospital hosts a vibrant on-site youth club where patients can escape clinical wards, unwind, and safely interact with peers.
- Social “Away Days”: The youth service regularly hosts recreational trips outside the hospital—including restaurant outings, adventure courses, and escape room challenges—to reduce isolation and let young people build mutual support networks.
- Creative and Well-being Spaces: The charity funds therapeutic programs such as the CREW Project (Creativity, Resilience, Enablement and Wellbeing) and is actively working toward a purpose-built MediCinema inside the hospital complex to bring the comfort of movies directly to long-term patients.
How the Charity Powers the Service
Because this service falls over and above standard NHS statutory provision, it relies heavily on public contributions. The Manchester Foundation Trust Charity raises essential funding through corporate sponsorships, targeted seasonal appeals, local community partnerships, and public donations to keep the service running and accessible to families across the North West.
