When: Tuesday, 5th November, 18:00 onwards
Where: Altogether Otherwise, NOMA, Hanover Street
Hosted by Jo Hartley and The Landing

Discover how to transform unexpected urban spaces into flourishing green environments at this hands-on gardening workshop. Led by Jo Hartley and The Landing team, this session will focus on the art of urban farming and sustainable gardening in unconventional locations—from rooftops to alleyways, and even small balconies. Learn practical techniques to grow food, nurture biodiversity, and turn overlooked city spots into vibrant green spaces.

Everyone is welcome!

Altogether Otherwise is a hobby house. A place that celebrates the sheer restorative joy of doing things for fun. We specialise in aimless pursuits that will help you to lose track of time.

A cookbook club, with food. Talk through recipes and cook together. Come along on Monday evenings from 6 pm. Chef Sam Buckley of WTLGI will host an engaging discussion and tasting session about food’s relationship with sustainability, local sourcing, and the deeper narratives that shape the way we eat today.

SCENE: A bustling Metropolis.

Join us for the opening night of Where The Light Gets In: A Play in the City, an exciting four-part project that brings together food, art, and community in unexpected urban spaces.

We’re kicking off Act 1 with an Opening Night Party on November 21st, 2024, from 17:00 until midnight. The night will feature a live DJ set from our good friend Living Room Dance Club.

When: Thursday 21st November to 21st December 2024, 17:00 - 00:00
Where: Altogether Otherwise, NOMA, 6-10 Hanover St, Manchester M4 4BB
What: We raid the cellars of WTLGI to bring you our favourite natural wines from the continent. Gorge on shellfish and whole animals roasted over wood. Weekender takeovers from our favourite labels and record shops. Welcome to your now. Welcome to the city.
How: Free entry, download a ticket.

Film screening, followed by a conversation, followed by Joe Hartley’s Evening Gardening Club.

The film by Myvillages and Company Drinks offers an insight into the culture and economics of ‘going picking’, bringing together former hop pickers ‘who went down to Kent’ from East London and today’s pickers who come there and are both key to British agricultural success. They share the experience of being so-called foreigners in the Kent countryside: East Londoners and current ‘foreigners’, often EU citizens from eastern Europe. Both groups of pickers are and have been essential to British agriculture, providing the en masse low-cost manual labour necessary to pick certain crops and fruits. Furthermore, both have developed their own cultures around being seasonal and casual workers on low income, from adapting mobile or low-spec accommodation, securing cheap travel, inventing free spare time activities, to socializing away from home. The film will be screed in the Paddock area at Beer & Berries playing on a loop throughout the event.

Myvillages was founded by artists Kathrin Böhm (UK/DE), Wapke Feenstra (NL) and Antje Schiffers (DE) in 2003, to advocate for a new understanding of the rural as a place of and for cultural production.

Myvillages’ work addresses the relationship between the rural and the urban, looking at different forms of production, pre-conceptions and power relationships, whilst passionately questioning the cultural hegemony of the urban. The collective is involved in co-operative projects in various villages and landscapes around the world, with the aim to bring a new dynamism to solidified notions of local resources and production, agriculture and culture, internal and external perception.

Myvillages initiates and organises trans-local and international projects which range from informal presentations to long-term collaborations, from work in private spaces to museum exhibitions, from personal questions to multidisciplinary research and publications, from foraging to building permanent infrastructures.

Join us whilst we contemplate some of the remnants of the city that were built and unbuilt in the years following World War Two.

In an attempt to reconstruct after war damage and to modernise a city that was seen to have grown in an unplanned and chaotic manner, ambitious plans for a complete redevelopment of the whole of the city centre were proposed. Coupled with this, the rising needs of the motorcar also led to plans that would drive huge four-lane highways through and across the city centre and a series of first-floor walkways where pedestrians would scuttle in and out of grand new developments.

Most of these plans stayed on the drawing board, some were built and some have already been and gone. On the walk we shall try to reconstruct and contemplate the implications had the plans had been seen through and to see what, if any, the legacy of this is. 

Join us on Wednesday, 5th February at Altogether Otherwise, from 6 PM, for an inspiring panel discussion exploring the future of urban growing in Manchester. Featuring local leaders in green projects, this event will delve into how we can transform the city’s landscapes to promote environmental resilience, improve community well-being, and promote food justice.

Speakers include:
Sam Buckley, founder of The Landing, a community growing space on the roof of the Merseyway Shopping Centre.
Mark Edwards, founder of Reflective Passage initiative, which took a fly-tipping hot spot in Moss Side into a green oasis.
Natalie Daring, National Trust Urban Lead for Greater Manchester

Key topics include:

• Building Climate Resilience through Green Spaces: How can urban green areas help combat climate change and improve air quality in the city?

• Urban Food Growing and Food Justice: What are the possibilities for growing food in cities, and how do we ensure everyone has access to fresh, healthy produce?

• Community-Led Green Projects: Highlighting the impact of initiatives like The Landing and Manchester Urban Diggers, and how they inspire participation in greening efforts.

• Repurposing Urban Infrastructure: From Castlefield Viaduct to Moss Side Alleyways, what is the potential for using underutilised spaces for greening and rewilding?

• Scaling Up Manchester's Green Spaces: What policies and practices should be prioritised to expand these projects city-wide?

Free to attend, download a ticket below.

Open Call for Manchester Chefs: Masterclass in Whole Animal Butchery with Samuel Buckley & Marcus of Littlewoods Butchers

Are you a chef passionate about sustainability and whole-animal cooking? Join us for a Masterclass in Whole Animal Butchery, led by two of Manchester's finest: Samuel Buckley, chef-owner of Where The Light Gets In, and Marcus of Littlewoods Butchers.

This hands-on masterclass offers chefs the opportunity to:

• Master whole-animal butchery techniques, from nose to tail

• Learn sustainable practices that reduce waste and maximise the use of every part of the animal

• Gain valuable insight into ethical sourcing and responsible food preparation

Masterclass Details:

• Date: 10/02/25

• Time: 10:00 am

• Location: The Bungalow at Kampus

• Fee: Free

Following the butchery session, chefs will join forces to create a collaborative meal, showcasing the cuts prepared during the workshop. The event will culminate in a communal dinner, and all proceeds will be donated to EatWell, a local charity tackling food poverty.

Why Join?

• Learn expert butchery skills from two leaders in sustainable food.

• Collaborate with other chefs passionate about responsible cooking.

• Make a difference: Every pound raised from the meal goes directly to support EatWell.

How to Apply: Interested chefs should email communications@wtlgi.co with their name, experience, and a brief statement on why they want to attend this masterclass by 20/12/24.

Spots are limited, so apply soon!

Join artist Kat Wood for a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn to build your very own peg loom and try weaving! This workshop will teach you how to construct a simple, traditional loom and then guide you through the process of weaving with sheep’s wool.

All participants will take home the peg loom they build during the workshop, along with newfound weaving skills! Wool will be provided from various farms around the North West of England, sourced to prevent this beautiful natural material from going to waste.

Urban Foraging Walk & Litter Picking
With Foraged Food Tasters by Where The Light Gets In

Discover the wild edibles growing right under your nose with our Urban Foraging Walk & Litter Picking day! Join us for a guided exploration of local green spaces where you’ll learn to identify and gather delicious wild foods such as spring greens like wild garlic, three-cornered leek, and flowering currant. Our expert forager Nick Harlow will guide you through the process, sharing tips on how to safely forage and sustainably harvest these natural ingredients.

After the walk, enjoy tasters of foraged dishes specially prepared by the chefs from Where The Light Gets In, featuring the same wild ingredients you'll be gathering.

And, for every bag of litter you pick up during the walk, you’ll be rewarded with a glass of wine or juice on us —our way of saying thanks for helping to keep our green spaces clean.

Walks will take place at 10:30am & 1:30pm

In this workshop we will show you how to grow delicious oyster mushrooms from recycled and repurposed materials. You’ll take away your own reusable kit so you can watch your mushroom grow time and time again, saving rubbish from landfills and learning a terrific new skill!