Famous Manchester faces are leading a new campaign to help Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s homelessness initiative.
Sixteen well-known personalities from the city have posed for a unique set of portrait photographs as part of ‘The Great & The Good’ exhibition by Burnage-born former Vogue photographer David Oldham.
Recognisable characters such as Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder, pop singer Badly Drawn Boy, Manchester City star Bernardo Silva and Coronation Street legend Julie Hesmondhalg posed for the exhibition, which took a month to shoot. And was unveiled to the public in its entirety at an invite-only event organised by and staged at fivefourstudios in Salford on November 1.
Following the reveal, the portraits will be on display until November 30 at fivefourstudios, the Salford-based photo-studio, creative and event space jointly-owned by exhibition photographer David Oldham and his sister Emma Stamp.
The images will then be sold off – via a silent auction which started at the event and will last until November 30 – to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going to Mayor Andy Burnham’s A Bed Every Night homeless initiative.
fivefourstudios co-owner Emma Stamp said:
“The Great & The Good is a portrait sitting of a diverse group of people that are or have been important to the fabric of the city. Each portrait is completely individual with its own narrative.
“The aim has been to present each person as a character unlike any way they have been represented in the past, whether they be a rock star, a poet or a politician. But what’s most important is to use this collection of portraits to raise money for A Bed Every Night.”
A Bed Every Night provides a comfy bed, warm welcome, and personal support for anyone sleeping on the streets of our city-region who cannot access other accommodation.
The scheme is part of an innovative and holistic approach to end the need for rough sleeping. It brings together a range of organisations, working together in a joined-up way, including the GMCA and the Mayor, 10 local authorities, GM Health and Social Care Partnership.
Along with Greater Manchester and other Criminal Justice Agencies and the Homelessness Action Network, to make sure the individual needs of people who are homeless are being met. It’s one of a number of options available to people experiencing or at risk of sleeping rough.
Also published on Medium.