June 2023,  saw the inaugeral 'GM Networks Connect' event in Manchester City Centre. Bringing together all of the major Greater Manchester networks, with over 200  people attending, the event was held at Freight Island.

The day was kick started by Ian with introductions from a number of the key organisations who were attending the day. Given just a brief amount of time, the organisations give an overview to their work, it was a whistle stop tour. 

Manchester Jokers brought their own slant to the day with a semi-impromtu drama around the real face of foodbanks and then it was time for an ethically sourced lunch, 

The afternoon took the form of workshops and discussion on 3 key areas, after which we were joined by the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham who was 'grilled' and challenged by our host for the day. In response, Andy gave a promise for more funding for the individual networks, as well as financial support for more 'GM Networks Connect' days.

Rounding off the day with a 'Speed Networking' session, and some conclusions, from across the organisers, the day was a roaring success, with many people saying that they couldn't wait for the next!