Speak and Belong

18/06/2026

What a fantastic, high-energy Thursday we had at Little Hulton Library for our Early Years programme! 🧸🎨✨

Today’s "Learn, Play, Grow" session was bursting with creativity and smiles, beautifully run by our wonderful Early Years Teacher and SENDCo, Donna!

Our little ones and their parents got stuck into some brilliant activities, including floor painting, making special Father’s Day cards, and designing sandcastles. We also loved seeing everyone cosy up in our story nook for some quiet reading time! 📚🏖️

To top it all off, Donna gave our families a very exciting sneak peek into what is coming next... get ready, because Glow Week is on the way! 🌟🤩

A massive thank you to our incredible volunteers, Maral and Praise, who both turned up today to support the session. Your help and dedication make these mornings so special for our community, and we appreciate you so much! 💚

Take a look at the photos below to see all the fun from today. 👇

17/06/2026

We are absolutely thrilled to share some incredibly exciting news with our wonderful community... Our brand new website is officially live! 🎉✨

You can now find everything you need to know about Speak and Belong CIC all in one place at: www.speakandbelong.co.uk

🩷🩷🩷🩷 A massive thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund! 🩷🩷🩷🩷We are incredibly proud to share that the development of this new website was made possible thanks to their generous funding, allowing us to better connect with and support our amazing community. 🤞🩷🩷🩷🩷

Having this online space is a huge step for us, and it will help us reach even more people across Salford and Greater Manchester, building stronger connections and empowering more voices.

Please take a few minutes to have a browse, and we would be incredibly grateful if you could share the link with anyone who might benefit from our programmes.

Thank you so much for your continued support. See you online, and see you in class! 💻🌍

Free ESOL courses and English classes in Walkden, Worsley, Little Hulton and Salford. Improve your English, build confidence and connect with your community.

13/06/2026

Fresh Start Stories: Voices of Salford – Session 1🤗

Today we held our first Fresh Start Stories: Voices of Salford workshop at The Lowry Academy. It was a warm and welcoming session where participants began exploring their personal journeys of moving to and building a life in Salford.

We started with a creative activity where everyone created their own pictures to represent parts of their lives and experiences. These visual stories helped us begin conversations about our past, present, and future, encouraging participants to reflect on where they have come from, where they are now, and their hopes for the future.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was completing the “All About Me” booklets. This turned into a fun and engaging activity, with lots of laughter, sharing, and discovering interesting things about one another. The booklets provided a creative way for participants to express their personalities, interests, memories, and aspirations.

The storytelling and creative writing activities helped everyone start shaping the stories they would like to tell, while building confidence and connections within the group. It was wonderful to see participants supporting one another and finding common experiences despite coming from different backgrounds.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back for Session 2: Belonging in Salford on Saturday 27th June, 1:15pm–3:15pm, where we will create our own “My Roots, My Future Tree” through art, collage, and creative expression.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and shared the beginning of their story. We can't wait to continue the journey together. 🌱📖✨

12/06/2026

Let's take a look back at our fantastic Early Years Programme with Speak and Belong! 🧸👶✨

Our Thursday sessions are always filled with so much joy, learning, and connection. This programme is specially designed for parents and their little ones to come together in a warm, welcoming space.

While the children engage in fun play and developmental activities, parents have the perfect opportunity to practice their English, build social networks, and share experiences with other families in the community. It is beautiful to see both parents and children growing in confidence week after week!

Don't forget, our Early Years Programme sessions run every Thursday from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM.

Venue: Little Hulton Library 🏫📍

We would love for you to join us! Have a browse through the photos below to see the fun from our last sessions. 📸👇

10/06/2026

What a busy, inspiring day in Manchester! 🐝Today, we attended the Refugee Welcome Programme conference—a powerful partnership event focused on strengthening support for refugees and asylum seekers.

It was fantastic to catch up with our brilliant Salford team and partners from Salford ESOL, Salford Work and Skills, Loaves and Fishes and Community Upskilling CIC! Working together makes our community network so much stronger.

We wrapped up the busy day by heading straight back to host a packed-out Conversation Club, filled with great chats and English practice. 💬🌍

08/06/2026

Take a look at our fantastic English classes from last week! 📚✨

Our learners worked incredibly hard, practicing their speaking, listening, and reading skills in a welcoming and supportive space. It is always so inspiring to see everyone building their confidence, sharing laughs, and supporting one another on their language journeys.

We are so proud of the amazing progress our students are making week after week!

Have a browse through the photos below to see our classes in action. 📸👇

08/06/2026

We are thrilled to share some incredible news from one of our very own Speak and Belong CIC Directors, Paul Whitelegg - Mr Walkden, who also leads the wonderful Walkden in Bloom initiative.

Walkden in Bloom has officially been announced as a finalist in the BBC Make a Difference Awards! 🎉 This is a massive achievement and a true testament to the dedication, hard work, and love that goes into making Walkden a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful place for everyone.

To make things even more exciting, the BBC is sending a journalist this weekend to interview the team and showcase all the amazing community work happening right here in Walkden. 🎤✨

Join the Community Litter Pick this Saturday! 🧹💚

Want to celebrate this amazing news and help get the neighborhood looking its absolute best before the BBC arrives? Paul and the team are hosting their community litter pick this Saturday, and everyone is invited to join in!

It is the perfect opportunity to show your community spirit, meet some fantastic local people, and support a group that does so much for our area.

A huge congratulations to Paul and everyone at Walkden in Bloom—we are all rooting for you! Let’s come together this Saturday and show everyone what makes our community so special.

07/06/2026

Another productive meeting with our partner, the She Rises Collective CIC! 🌸✨

We spent today collaborating, sharing ideas, and planning future initiatives to support and empower the wonderful women and girls in our local community. Building strong partnerships like this allows us to combine our strengths, expand our reach, and create truly meaningful impact.

Together we can achieve even more! 🚀🙌

06/06/2026

June 2026 Schedule 🌳🪻📑📝📌

06/06/2026

Unlocking New Career Opportunities for Women and Girls! 👠👠💪💪

What an incredible, inspiring day at our Women and Girls Empowerment Course!

For those who couldn't make it to today’s session, we’ve put together a gallery of photos below so you can catch up on everything we covered!

We were absolutely thrilled to welcome two phenomenal guest speakers who brought so much passion, knowledge, and empowerment to the room:

* Frankie (): Delivered a fantastic, eye-opening presentation packed with valuable insights into career opportunities, diverse career paths, college, and university options across the Greater Manchester area.
* Dorota from the She Rises Collective CIC: Shared her own inspiring career journey and introduced the wonderful support, mentorship, and opportunities that She Rises offers to women and girls right here in our local community.

Exciting News: Launching "Young Voices, Strong Futures" this September!📊📈💬🗨️

During the session, we officially introduced and invited our fantastic participants to our brand-new upcoming programme starting this September: Young Voices, Strong Futures!

* What is it? A specialised Business and Work English course completely focused on building your career paths, professional vocabulary, and workplace confidence.
* Who is it for? ESOL speakers aged 16–30.
* Funding: This programme is proudly funded by Forever Manchester, dedicated to empowering young people in our communities.

We are also delighted to share that Frankie will be spreading the word and sharing this incredible opportunity with her own clients!

Thank you so much to Frankie, Dorota, and all the inspiring women and girls who attended today. The future is yours, and it is looking incredibly bright!