Manchester Young Lives is a well established charity with a 55 year history of working in disadvantaged areas across Manchester, engaging over 3,000 children and young people aged 6 to 24 every year. MYL’s main areas of work include open access play and youth provision, holiday playschemes, early intervention programmes, and post 16 employability support for young people with additional needs. The charity is best known for its adventure playgrounds, offering unique play facilities in disadvantaged communities.

The Addy Young People’s Centre in Wythenshawe known locally as The Addy is MYL’s largest adventure playground, welcoming more than a thousand children and young people regularly each year.

The Addy is a fantastic space where children can play, socialise, and create lasting memories with their peers. It offers opportunities for risk taking, learning, and friendship building through the power of play. These experiences help develop confidence and essential life skills that carry into adulthood. In an age dominated by social media, The Addy provides vital face to face connection in a safe environment supported by experienced play and youth workers.

The playground is a valuable community asset and a long standing hub of support for thousands of Wythenshawe families since opening in 2003. However, after 23 years of continuous use, it is now reaching the end of its lifespan and has become increasingly costly to maintain.

To ensure future generations can benefit from this vital resource, The Addy has launched its Stepping Stones Campaign, seeking £650,000 to fully redevelop the long established adventure playground in Sharston. Since launching the appeal in June 2025, the campaign has already secured £220,000 a strong start that demonstrates clear community support.

‘The Addy’ adventure playground supports over 1,000 children and young people through its afterschool play and youth provision, plus hundreds of families attend free community events every year such as National Play Day. Since opening, tens of thousands of children have benefited from this unique adventure play environment, where wooden structures promote risky, creative, and expansive play within a large, engaging space. For more than two decades, the playground has supported children’s right to play (Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) and contributed to their wellbeing, confidence, resilience, and social development.

The Redevelopment of the playground will:

• Create a safe, fun, inclusive, and inspiring space for children of all abilities

• Improve health, wellbeing, confidence, and social development

• Strengthen family support by maintaining a trusted local hub

• Reinforce community cohesion and long term resilience

• Protect this valuable and historical asset for future generations

Investing in the Stepping Stones Campaign is an investment in Wythenshawe’s children, ensuring future generations have access to the same opportunities and support.

For more details on how you can support the campaign or to make a donation to the Stepping Stones Appeal, please visit: manchesteryounglives.org.uk/stepping-stones-appeal or email info@manchesteryounglives.org.uk