Salford’s model for Live Well Centres and Spaces has emerged through a highly collaborative VCSE-led process, developed over months of partnership meetings, neighbourhood consultation, and negotiation with Salford City Council, NHS GM and GMCA. The approach reflects a shared commitment to ensure Live Well is rooted in community power, not imposed from above.
Live Well Centres and Spaces Implementation
Live Well Spaces of Hope and Connection funding
VCSE Live Well Partnership meeting
Centres and Spaces Implementation
An independent bidding process for Live Well Centres and Spaces was launched in October 2025. The opportunity was open to all VCSE organisations within the Salford CVS Live Well Partnership.
What has emerged is a uniquely Salford approach, grounded in partnership, shaped by community feedback, and designed to strengthen the VCSE sector’s long-term role in prevention, belonging and everyday support across all neighbourhoods.
We received eight applications, and following an independent panel scoring process, funding was awarded as follows:
CommUnity Little Hulton – Flagship Live Well Centre
The Broughton Trust – VCSE Live Well Space
Age UK Salford and Trafford (Critchley Hub) – VCSE Live Well Space
Emmaus Salford – VCSE Live Well Space
Spaces of Hope and Connection
Live Well Spaces of Hope and Connection - 10GM has secured a major £16.5m investment in community-led spaces
Thanks to National Lottery players, 10GM, on behalf of Greater Manchester Live Well, will receive £16.5 million over four years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the UK’s largest community funder. This investment in Live Well Spaces of Hope and Connection will create a network of 100+ inclusive, community-led and owned spaces across Greater Manchester where people can meet, belong and find everyday support. Prioritising communities facing the greatest inequalities, the investment will strengthen social infrastructure and grow community action, power and wealth. Powered by the Live Well movement, VCSE organisations, public services and residents will come together to share power, change systems and shape healthier, fairer, more connected places.
Liz Windsor-Welsh, Director of 10GM, speaking on behalf of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector in Greater Manchester, said:
“We’re thrilled to have secured this major investment in Greater Manchester’s VCFSE sector. Across our 10 boroughs, there are already hundreds of spaces of hope and connection. They’re the lifeblood of our sector. But many are underfunded, overstretched and held up by just a few dedicated individuals fighting to keep the lights on. These leaders often face immense pressure, driven by a deep sense of responsibility to their communities. And too many people facing the most significant inequalities still do not have communal spaces to call their own.
“This investment will help us change that. Prioritising the communities facing the greatest inequalities, it builds on the leadership and creativity already rooted in local communities. It will help strengthen social infrastructure and put real power, resources and decision-making into local hands.
“Powered by the Live Well movement, we'll work with our VCFSE organisations, public services, and residents to share power, change systems and shape healthier, fairer, more connected places, so that everyone can live a better life.”
What the programme will do
Launching in April 2026, this represents one of the largest investments in community-led development in England. It builds on the leadership and creativity already rooted in local communities and will:
- Supercharge and celebrate community-led action that builds connection, resilience, equity and community wealth.
- Generate and share nationally significant learning about what helps community-led spaces thrive long-term — influencing policy and practice locally, regionally and nationally.
- Strengthen and grow social infrastructure that supports lasting community power, leadership and belonging across Greater Manchester.
This programme is a chance to reimagine how we invest in and support grassroots social infrastructure — moving away from bureaucracy and toward trust, equity and shared leadership. It's an opportunity to build something lasting, together. And because learning is essential to long-term change, a dedicated learning and evaluation pathway will sit at the heart of the work.
Salford CVS has already established a strong VCSE partnership to support this work and undertaken eight engagement events across the city to inform our Live Well approach. There will be numerous further opportunities for VCSE groups and organisations to get involved going forward, so watch this space...
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Read more: https://www.salfordcvs.co.uk/LWSpacesofHope
VCSE Live Well Partnership meeting
The journey began in June 2025, when Salford CVS convened the first VCSE Live Well Partnership meeting to establish a local vision aligned to GM’s ambition for “everyday support, for everyone, in every neighbourhood”. Early discussions highlighted key principles for Salford: build on what already works, avoid duplicating existing community hubs, ensure a no wrong front door approach, and invest in trusted spaces across all neighbourhoods.
Throughout summer 2025 partners shaped what Centres and Spaces should be, not just where they should sit. Centres must be places offering trusted, person-centred support that works closely with public services but does not replace them. Spaces were understood as thematic, targeted or identity-focused venues with established community trust. Partners insisted that neither Centres nor Spaces should simply replicate public services. They must strengthen community-led prevention, belonging and social connection.
Salford’s partnership also defined how decisions should be made. Members repeatedly pushed for transparent criteria, community voice, political support at ward level and due diligence that would not exclude smaller organisations. Concerns about sustainability and the limited funding window shaped a clear preference for a top-up approach, enabling existing VCSE organisations to grow their offer rather than creating entirely new models.