Lunchworks is a series of thought-provoking talks put together by two social enterprises new to the Northern Quarter. Web agency Reason Digital and communications and project management team Dovetail have recently moved into the top floor of Cheetwood House on Newton Street, and they came up with the idea of 'Lunchworks' as a way of saying 'hello' to the neighbours, as well as providing a forum for discussion for like-minded organisations.
“We decided to put on these talks because we feel there is a real need for them,” says Matt Haworth of Reason Digital. “There's a lot of doom and gloom about, especially amongst small organisations who are dependent on public sector contracts or grant aid, both of which are being drastically cut - and we wanted to address that.”
Frankie Mullen, Co-Director of Dovetail, adds: “Then there's all this talk about the Big Society, and we wanted to bring these things together and generate a positive proactive message for the future. So we've brought in some unlikely but very interesting speakers to help us get a sense of ownership of the work we're doing and the direction we're taking, and get some discussion going about new and more creative ways of working in the current climate.”
The first speaker is Gerry Hassan writer, journalist, and political analyst, described by The Sunday Herald as “Scotland's main public intellectual.” Gerry, who is based in Glasgow, recently delivered a talk on 'Futures Thinking’ for Future Everything at MediaCity. This caught the attention of the Dovetail/Reason Digital team who were very drawn to the fact that he was talking about the possibility of individuals and small organisations being able to claim ownership of the future for themselves, and therefore have a hand in shaping it.
Gerry says: “These are anxious times for most of us as we await the full effect of public spending cuts. There is a sense that what is happening isn't just about economic logic, and the deficit, but of cutting down public spending and remaking the state. This vision seems to believe that the future is theirs, and that they can remake Britain into the utopia of their dreams. How this is opposed, doesn't just require resistance, but creation: looking at different ways of making and remaking the public sector and voluntary organisations other than what's being presented to us. And ultimately that requires retaking and remaking the future.”
At the same time, Reason Digital (formally Virtual Construction) wanted to mark their move from their offices in Failsworth into the heart of the Northern Quarter.
“Having worked outside of the city centre for a couple of years, we were very keen to come back in - and the Northern Quarter suits us very well,” says Ed Cox, of Reason Digital. “We work largely with charities, social enterprises and other socially motivated organisations and many of the people we've worked with, or would like to with in the future, are in this area. In many ways we are also providing a service which is complimentary to Dovetail, and as we share a similar ethos and approach, it made sense to share offices as well as looking at some joint projects.”
Julia Brosnan, Dovetail's other Co-Director, says: “ Frankie Mullen and I have been working together for 10 years and we've recently decided to formally join forces as Dovetail - doing project management, PR and marketing for Third sector, social enterprises and creative industries, and we are confident that working closely alongside Reason Digital will open up new opportunities for us both.”
This similar ethos and approach is reflected in the fact that both Dovetail and Reason Digital like to develop long term relationships with clients, seeing the work they do and the service they provide - whether it's on the web or with comms and on projects - as part of an ongoing partnership which feeds into the development of the organisation as a whole.
Matt Haworth says: “ Putting on Lunchworks is also about opening things up and showing that there are other ways of working, for instance by maximising the assets you do have and looking at new developing partnerships.”
Julia Brosnan adds “We also wanted to bring in the Big Society that everyone is talking about at the moment and looking at how it may or may not work for us and our sector, without buying into the whole idea of it.”
The talks will be held at the teams' new offices on the 4th floor at Cheetwood House. Each talk is 20 mins, with 20 mins for discussion and plenty of time for a delicious bite from the Barbakan Deli. They will be tightly timed to fit into the average lunch hour and cost £3.
Gerry Hassan is speaking on Friday 27th August at 12.30pm. The next talk will be Voiceover Artist and 'Voice of the Tube' Emma Clarke on Friday September 24th at 12.30pm. All talks will be filmed, and will be available to view online.
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Media contact: Julia Brosnan 07870 306867 [email protected]
https://www.dovetailtogether.co.uk/
To book a place at Lunchworks: http://www.reasondigital.com/lunchworks/
4th Floor
Cheetwood House
21 Newton Street
Manchester M21 1FZ