Dance music fans get together to renovate Manchester community centre

Put on your best festival clobber, break out those dance moves and get ready for the set of a lifetime because ravers can now shuffle and save the environment at the same time, thanks to a brand new community initiative coming to Manchester.

Parklife Festival and Manchester City Council have set up a partnership with the 10,000 Hours Foundation to enable dance music fans to become part of positive social change in Manchester, starting with the launch of a volunteer-led renovation of Harpurhey Community Centre and Garden on Saturday 1st July.

Volunteers will be given a host of activities as part of the renovation, including painting, plastering and gardening. There will also be a selection of Northern Quarter street artists turning the exterior into a ‘beacon for the local community’ as part of the final touches.

“Places like this could be serving the local community in so many ways, but years of government cuts means that is currently not the case,” says 10,000 Hours Foundation UK director Oliver Wilson.

“We aim to unleash the huge potential of the Centre with this project so that everyone can benefit and, in doing so, enable Parklife fans to be a part of positive change in our city.”

Founded in Amsterdam in 2010, the 10,000 Hours Foundation focuses on bringing together volunteers with common interests to take part in projects supporting the homeless, the elderly, local communities and the disabled.

Since then, over 40,000 hours have been organised across Europe and, thanks to its UK branch headed by Mancunian social entrepreneur Oliver, things are only going to get bigger.

“In terms of social care and community support there are huge gaps left by traditional institutions and the government. This is the response from the electronic music and festival industry.

“We believe in harnessing the influence and power of the scene to positive ends, not only supporting those who need it but also enabling fans to become a part of positive change in our society.”

Take part

If you want to take part, visit the Parklife Festival Twitter page.