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From Monday 9 March to Monday 23 March 2026, Greater Manchester came alive with a two‑week celebration of the people, places and partnerships that grow and bring Live Well to life across the 10 GM boroughs.

On Wednesday 11 March more than 80 local residents joined us at the recent Hands Up Whitefield event to discover how Live Well is supporting the community and to help shape plans for the future.
Attendees had the chance to preview early designs for the new building, explore seating and colour options for the café, and share ideas about the types of activities they’d love to see in Whitefield.
We were thrilled by the fantastic suggestions for possible names for both the café and the wider centre, as well as the helpful feedback on what the café’s food offer should include.

Bury Relics are a walking football club based at Castle Leisure Centre. Bury Relics attended our first Sports and Physical Activity Network meeting in September 2025. During this meeting, John and Keith expressed an interest in getting new shirts for the team to help strengthen team identity and boost morale.  

The Bury Older People’s Network kicked off the year with a fantastic turnout at its Away day on 14 January 2026.

The session opened with a warm welcome from the BOPN Chair Joanna Mawdsley followed by updates from guest speakers Lynne Ridsdale, Chief Executive, Bury Council and Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health and Public Service Reform.

15 voluntary and community groups in Bury benefited from Bury Council’s digital inclusion scheme and have received a refurbished laptop to support with their work. Katherine and Owen, our Capacity Building Development Officers worked with Ellie the Digital Inclusion Officer at Bury Council to facilitate the donation in December 2025. 

Josh’s Volunteer Story

I recently graduated with an MChem in Chemistry, and after working with a careers coach I was referred to Bury VCFA to gain more work placed experience and develop skills that would support my future career.

Nuttall Park Bowling Club were badly affected by the winter floods in 2024. They have two greens, a flat practice green and a crown green. Due to the extent of the flood damage, the crown green was not playable for the 2025 season. Kevin, Chair of Nuttall Park Bowling Club was referred to Bury VCFA by Bury Council for support with finding funding to repair their crown green and flooding defences to prevent further damage.

The Urban Cycle Centre, a social enterprise based at The Barn Countryside Centre in Whitefield, works to promote physical activity, mental wellbeing, social cohesion and community engagement.
In January 2025, the group received £995 funding from the Wellness Investment Programme Prestwich, with support from Bury VCFA. The funding enabled them to launch Coddywomple Walks, a project designed to introduce residents to the parks of Prestwich. The name “Coddywomple” means to travel purposefully towards a vague or unknown destination, perfectly capturing the spirit of the initiative.