Tony Walsh donates royalties from ‘This is the Place’ poem to local charity

Prestwich poet Tony Walsh has donated the royalties from his poem This is the Place to local charity Forever Manchester to benefit local community groups.

The charity commissioned the poem in 2012 to encapsulate the spirit of Greater Manchester, to celebrate its local communities and help explain what Forever Manchester does.

It captured the attention of the world’s media in May last year when Tony performed it in front of thousands of people gathered in Albert Square and millions of people across the world on TV less than 24 hours after the terror attack on Manchester Arena.

https://ilovemanchester.com/2017/05/23/this-inspirational-manchester-poem-recited-with-passion-has-left-thousands-of-people-with-goosebumps.aspx

It has become synonymous with the city of Manchester and the resilience of its people, and has been used on artworks, buildings and merchandise ever since.

The poem has already raised in excess of £150,000 for charity, mainly from the This Is The Place book.

Now it will only be available free of charge for educational purposes in school libraries and colleges.

Businesses will be requested to make a donation to Forever Manchester in accordance with their size and usage, whilst profits from merchandise will also benefit the charity.

Profits from any merchandise will also go to Forever Manchester.

“This Is the Place has entered the fabric of the city in a way an artist can only dream of,” said Tony, who is also known as Longfella.

“Every day I receive a request to use the poem in all sorts of different ways and people stop me in the street to tell me how it has helped or affected their lives. It feels only natural to continue to use the poem to help a charity that really makes a difference to the people of Greater Manchester.”

Licensing of the poem will be available online with details of the conditions of use.

The website will set out the terms of usage and make the license available in a simple and easy manner. It will help to ensure that all merchandise is properly licensed so that members of the public can be assured that the merchandise profit contributes to a good cause.

https://ilovemanchester.com/2017/05/24/these-heartfelt-poems-sent-by-mancunians-will-make-you-feel-proud-of-our-city.aspx