About The Big Life group

In 1990's Manchester, people living in the inner-city communities of Hulme and Moss Side were fed up waiting for public services to support them, and started to develop their own solutions; needle exchange, family support, play schemes and self-help groups. This is where The Big Life Group started.

They recognised that people often faced a variety of difficulties, but they also had strengths and things to give. They were people, not problems. By working together to set up services, Big Life benefited from their strengths and the insight of their life experience. At the time, services for poor people had the longest waiting lists, the worst quality buildings and the least care.

Big Life decided it would be different; they would give people first class support, tailored to what they really wanted. It wasn't easy, and many of the people they worked with had already been turned away from traditional services because they were too difficult, or had tried to change and not succeeded. But they believe that everyone has the capacity to change and they resolved to never give up, to keep offering opportunities for people to change their lives.

The organisation's vision, mission and values are embedded within every aspect of the group. Everything the group does is driven by the need to help people change their lives, however small or large those changes might be. The Big Life group works differently, constantly challenging themselves and others and always led by their shared set of values.

Big Life have five values that run through the heart of the organisation: never give up; tread new ground; first class; people not problems and finally, working in partnership.