We Built This City: Greater Manchester

“I've learned you need to appreciate things you've created and not be afraid to celebrate them at every opportunity.” Manchester legend Clint Boon has spent five decades at the heart of the city’s music scene, and now he’s put it all down on paper in his new book, The Manchester Chronicles: True Tales of Music Madness and Mayhem . This conversation was recorded live at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel...

"Our job is to create as many opportunities as possible." Jo Walby is the CEO of Mustard Tree, the Manchester charity fighting poverty and homelessness. Every month, more than 11,000 people walk through its doors and the charity provides food, clothes and furniture for those who need it. It also offers training, work placements and a route into a home. Jo's personal story has shaped her work. She...

‘Creating nurture for people who’ve never had it” What happens when education is built around people instead of qualifications? Introducing Manchester’s dreamer who’s creating a movement that is changing the educational system not just in this city region, but across the world. Anthony Thompson is the founder of Navigators, who are creating vocational learning programmes that are opening doors for...

“ I'm interested in people's stories. I want to know where they've come from. I want to know what they're up to, what makes them tick.” Meet Gareth Shenton, the Manc who’ll always welcome you to his table and creates atmospheres you want to be a part of. Gareth is Operations Director at Shenton Group, which means he steers the ship across their buildings in Manchester City centre, including the fo...

The best networks aren’t built by asking; they’re built by giving. We Built This City host Lisa Morton was invited to be a guest on another great Manchester podcast, Blooming North, and you can hear that conversation in this episode. Lisa joined 'Coach to the North' Lisa Hughes on the most recent episode of the Blooming North podcast. Together they explored the idea of creating your own "Mancheste...

”She was a quiet rebel in class, a diamond sifter in a gravel pit." Caroline Aherne left Manchester with a comedic legacy that went on to redefine British TV. One of the many people she inspired is Dave Scott, the poet and author who you might know better as Argh Kid. Dave’s latest book ‘Rebel in Disguise', is a love letter to Caroline’s work as a writer, actress and comedian. Host Lisa Morton rec...

”Our songs were all about how I felt being Mancunian” What does it look like to live a life immersed in the Manchester music scene and to make a city dance? Mike Pickering is the legendary Hacienda DJ, musician and former A&R for Factory Records and now, author. You can’t tell the story of music in Manchester over the past 40 years without Mike in the picture. In this episode, you’ll find out...

What does it take to run one of the UK's most ambitious city regions? Caroline Simpson, Group Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, joins Lisa Morton to share how the region is turning devolution into real, tangible change for people's lives. Caroline has helped shape some of the most significant developments in Greater Manchester in recent years, including the Bee Network;...

What does it mean to spend over 40 years building a career that shapes so much of who you are? Joe Gallagher is a professional world champion boxing coach and the owner of Gallagher's Gym in Moss Side. A born and bred Mancunian, Joe spends his time fighting people’s corner, encouraging them to find strength and ultimately win. In this episode, you’ll hear how Joe’s entry into boxing at just 10 yea...

How do you create a community that helps women across Greater Manchester feel seen, heard and valued? Emma Neville is a menopause coach and trained counsellor, whose work is centred around listening to and supporting women. Hear about the lessons she’s learnt from spending years giving her time to supporting people across Manchester from inside some of the city's most important charities, and from...

‘It takes a village, it takes a city’ How do you create your big Manchester Family? Fresh from the Big Manc Chippy tea event, which celebrated reaching 100 Mancs on the podcast, Lisa Morton is turning the tables in this episode. For the first time, she’s the one answering questions on values, relationships, purpose, legacy and of course, the all-important chippy order. Lisa is joined by her daught...

“The city has been my ally; I've never been frightened to make any career changes” Han Thompson is the Production Executive for BBC’s Morning Live. Her rural roots in the Cotswolds haven't stopped her from finding her place here in Manchester, something she attributes to “typical Manc chattiness and openness”, which she experienced right from the start of her time in the city region. Morning Live...

“It’s exciting to be part of the city; we've got so much further to go” On this episode of Drawn Here Not Born Here from We Built This City, Lisa talks to Joe Manning, Managing Director of MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency. Joe explains how MIDAS is building relationships between Greater Manchester and leading global cities, creating opportunities for international businesses to invest,...

“Manchester has a DNA, which is very powerful, founded on things that matter in life” Meet Manc 100. Michael Ingall is the Chairman and CEO of the property and investment group Allied London. Michael and his team have always had an incredible understanding of the energy and confidence of the city, and a vision for what it could become in the future. In this episode, you’ll hear how Allied London d...

What makes you fall in love with Manchester and stay for three decades? Andrew Charnley is the Managing Director of Sancus, a property finance and lending company, and a long-time champion of Manchester. When he joined the business in 2024, he knew they would benefit from being part of the city’s buzz and momentum, and since then, Andrew has led Sancus’ expansion in the city region, backing Manche...

What does it take to care for people at the most vulnerable moments of their lives? Jon Bell is a consultant Interventional Radiologist at The Christie in Manchester, the largest cancer care centre in Europe, providing world-leading cancer care, from Greater Manchester. Jon and his team are helping to treat and care for one in two of us who will get cancer. He also happens to be the son of Manches...

How do you make people feel at home in a city that still feels new? There are so many people making big contributions to Greater Manchester who don’t quite fit the ‘born, bred or adopted Manc’ label. We Built This City is celebrating some of those people with ‘Drawn Here Not Born Here’. Matt Townley is Group Operations Director at Dakota Hotels and Chair of the Manchester Hoteliers Association. He...

How do you sell a groundbreaking new venue in a city you’ve only just moved to? We Built This City celebrates people who contribute to Greater Manchester in a meaningful way, and Mancs can be “born, bred or adopted”. But what about the people who don’t quite fit those labels? Like in Tony Walsh's poem, they’ve been drawn here, not born here. In this series, you’ll hear from some of those people. P...

How do you make your way in business in Manchester as a Scouser? There are many people making big contributions to Greater Manchester who don’t quite fit the born, bred or adopted Manc label. And We Built This City is celebrating some of those people with ‘Drawn Here Not Born Here’. Peter Jackson is the former CEO and Managing Partner of the Law firm Hill Dickinson. Back in the late 90s, he came f...

“It’s an amazing opportunity for Manchester United and the region”  Collette Roche is the Chief Operating Officer of Manchester United, the first woman ever to hold that role at the club. Along the way, she’s had to navigate male-dominated environments; hold tough conversations, and lead with clarity and empathy since she was 21 years old. Collette’s story isn’t just about football. She’s pla...

How has the ‘Cream of Manchester’ been “pulled” back to the city? Will Lees-Jones is the Managing Director of JW Lees, a seventh-generation family brewery and pub business with pubs all across the North West. Will caught up with Lisa Morton to share the news about the exciting return of Boddingtons to Manchester and other pubs near you. They discuss what it means to bring back an icon to the city;...

"It's all about connecting people and place to opportunity." Tom Stannard is the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council. A proud public servant, he began his career in London, but his journey in the North West has been a tale of two cities. Tom left Salford four months ago to start his new role in Manchester. Find out how Tom leads with a community first mindset; humility, purpose and humour,...

What does it take to power a greener future for Manchester? Amer Gaffar is the Director of the Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University,  a research hub developing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, which will support Greater Manchester's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2038. Lisa and Amer discuss exactly what a ‘fuel cell’ is and how hydrogen can powe...

In this special episode, Lisa Morton revisits one of the most powerful conversations from the podcast to date — her 2022 interview with Figen Murray OBE. Figen practises kindness and teaches resilience in an effort to build a safer, more united society — one rooted in trust, respect, and compassion. After losing her son Martyn Hett in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, she gave up her career as...

"Peace is an ongoing journey; it never ends." What motivates somebody to tackle Manchester’s biggest problems? Professor Erinma Bell MBE joins host Lisa Morton to share what drove her to create change at a time when the city region was being called ‘Gunchester’ and the values that have kept her on that mission for the past 25 years. Erinma is a peace activist, community leader, and councillor for...