The Portico Library

“Embracing creativity, collaboration and inclusivity, the project will unlock the Library's past to plan for the future" - John Carpenter CEng, FICE Chair, Portico Board of Trustees on #ReunitingOfThePortico project What’s on at the Portico Library? The Portico is home to an eclectic range of fantastic public events, from talks and performances to exhibitions, awards and workshops https://lnkd.in/eUeQeDJv Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter X, Threads and LinkedIn ‘Love the Portico Library’ Reel 🎞️🎥 by The Zebra Partnership (Publishing, Events, Media & Campaigns Agency)

Four fabulous #PorticoVolunteers and Carol Ann Whitehead FRSA CMgr CCMI joined Dr Debbie Challis to host Saturday night event. It was a fabulous evening with #OliverLomax reading his poems and a first public reading for #BarnieRule. A friend of #ThePorticoLibrary, Oliver is a poet, educator, and trustee of the Working Class Movement Library in Salford. He passionately believes in #cultural #equality. Read about him here: https://lnkd.in/ee4gWZwr #poetry #poems #writing

Come by on Sat 30th Nov to listen to readings by Oliver Lomax with Barney Rule. Oliver James Lomax is a poet, educator, and trustee of the Working-Class Movement Library in Salford. He passionately believes in cultural equality and the power of the arts to enable everyone in society to have a voice. He has written poetry for film and television and in 2019 released his first spoken word single described by Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music) as ‘An unholy hybrid of John Cooper Clarke and Mark E Smith.’ He released his debut album Working-Class Love Poem (Shadrack and Duxbury 2023) which he is currently touring across the UK. His poems are now taught in schools. ‘Beautifully written poems from a unique voice of integrity and spirit.’ – Maxine Peake Support comes from Barney Rule Barney Rule is an English Literature student at the University of Manchester, who has written poems since he was small. He describes his work as ‘a tragi-comic melange of Miles Jupp and John Cooper Clarke’ and hopes one day someone else will describe it that way too. Book your tickets: bit.ly/3Zm4JRz #Poetry #Events #Manchester #ThePorticoLibrary

🌟 Introducing Our Award Winner! 🌟 We are thrilled to announce Carol Ann Whitehead as the recipient of this year’s Political Figure award at the Baton Awards! Her exceptional leadership, dedication, and impactful contributions to our community have set a new standard for what it means to serve with integrity and passion. Congratulations, Carol Ann, on this well-deserved recognition! 👏 A huge thank you to all our finalists for their outstanding work – you are all an inspiration to us all! Your commitment and hard work continue to make a difference. ✨ Thank you from the entire Baton Awards team! ✨ #BatonAwards2024 #PoliticalLeadership #CarolAnnWhitehead #AwardWinner #Congratulations #CommunityLeadership

Huge congratulations to Creative Manchester at The University of Manchester and partners The Portico Library, Manchester Central Library, Chetham's Library, Manchester Poetry Library, John Rylands Library and Institute for winning best event at the Manchester Culture Awards on Saturday, 23 November, for the Festival of Libraries. The Festival is funded by Arts Council England and is supported by authors, artists and creatives. https://lnkd.in/eCVjzu7z #Libraries #FestivalofLibraries #

#TuesdayThought We managed to catch up with Dr Thom Keep, our CEO and Head Librarian of the Portico Library and Newsroom. ‘ Books are great insulators, but it still gets cold in the Portico during the winter months, particularly with our noisy and inefficient 1970s boiler – think basement in Home Alone. We are really excited for what our #Reunited development project with The National Lottery Heritage Fund will deliver, both for long overdue improvements to our 200 year old building and the many more people it will enable us to share it with. However, we wouldn’t be close to achieving this ambition without the support towards our core costs provided by Garfield Weston Foundation and the The Foyle Foundation, and we want to say a massive thank you and to all those who donate to the Library. Keep warm and hopefully see you soon for a spot of Christmas shopping.’ The Portico is a charity and it needs your support. You can find out all about the Reunited project and how to support us by visiting https://lnkd.in/eBVkJWMC John Carpenter CEng, FICE Carol Ann Whitehead FRSA CMgr CCMI Tobias Lumb Tomasz Lukaszewicz Esther Lisk-Carew Paul Deehan Tam Watson Kevin D. Karen Chancellor Dr Debbie Challis Apapat Jai-in Glynn Louise Sutherland 🎥 The Zebra Partnership (Publishing, Campaigns & Events Agency)

I'm delighted to say that Festival of Libraries scooped a prestigious Manchester Culture Award in the Best Event category over the weekend! It's so heartening to see the work of libraries in Greater Manchester to be recognised in this way. Many of our Manchester City of Literature partners in the city were also shortlisted in what turned out to be a brilliant evening for literature in Manchester. https://lnkd.in/eiZjQh3c

Some excellent opportunities from Museums Association #JobsBoard

This year was the 6th #MCRCultureAwards. The Portico Library were honoured to be among the finalists, all who have done extraordinary things, have supported talent and creativity and produced world-leading events, exhibitions and performances. Representing the Portico was Dr Thom Keep, 邱 靜雯 Iris Yau FRSA FHEA, Carol Ann Whitehead FRSA CMgr CCMI and #JoeFenn We were shortlisted in the 'Best Exhibition' category for ‘Infamous: Opium, Silk, Tea and The Mission' our collaboration with guest curator Iris Yau. The massive installation from Factory International won, however we were so pleased it was our first time at actually getting to a final and most of all it was a public vote that got us there. As partner venue, the Portico were honoured to celebrate with the Manchester City of Literature team as they won for ‘Best Event’ - They coordinated ‘The #FestivalOfLibraries’ across #GreaterManchester involving 111 events in public, independent, specialist and #historic libraries. With a passion for #networking, Carol Ann found the awards a great opportunity to spread the Portico gospel and like a tag team handed over to Thom to talk about the #ReunitedProject Carol Ann caught up with Nadia Ali, one of the original team that set up ALLFM 96.9 Her daughter won on the night for her work with ALL FM She introduced Thom and Joe to former Mayor and Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Dr Carl Austin-Behan OBE Manchester City Council Head of Libraries, Galleries and Culture Neil MacInnes OBE chatted to Carol Ann about channeling their inner #Wicked with their pink and green outfits! Everyone had an open invitation to the Portico to visit the ‘#UnderConstruction’ exhibition and Voices of the Wall installation currently on until 19 December. Infamous: Opium, Silk, Tea and The Mission Background: Hosted at The Portico Library this year, ‘Infamous: Opium, Silk, Tea and The Mission' is curated by CSM lecturer Iris Yau 丘靜雯 FRSA FHEA, with the support of Dr Debbie Challis and Apapat Jai-in Glynn, Portico Library staff and volunteers. A 50 page e-catalogue in #English and Simplified #Chinese and a #KS3 #History Schools resource pack are now available to download freely. Spanning descriptions of botany, the stealing of plant samples and trade secrets in silk manufacture to descriptions of China and people in East Asia, Infamous explores a key and difficult period in the relationship between our two nations. It considers the influence of the industrial revolution and the trading power of Manchester in the often violent struggle to access the markets in China; and why tea, opium and silk were so lucrative and important to the expansion of the British Empire and the factories in Manchester, Cheshire and Lancashire. Get the catalogue and resource pack here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ekftB-r3

A warm #voxpox welcome to #McrCultureAwards from Manchester City Council Head of Libraries, Galleries and Culture Neil MacInnes OBE who was joined our Chief of Staff and Chair of the Public Programme Committee Carol Ann Whitehead FRSA CMgr CCMI Both channeling their inner #Wicked 🧙with pink 💕and green💚!! Congratulations to all the finalists and winners. What was the highlight for you at the awards? Manchester City of Literature Venture Arts Z-arts Brighter Sound Contact Manchester Central Library Factory International