Our history
Did you know that Back on Track has been making a difference in Manchester for more than 45 years? The world is a very different place – and so is Back on Track – but one thing that hasn’t changed is our belief in people’s lives changing through learning.
Find out how we evolved from a small project set up above a shop in 1977 into the organisation we are today – just scroll through the timeline below to let the story unfold. Our timeline video (see 2017) features some archive footage and some of the music created at Back on Track down the years – so it’s best watched with the sound up!
1977
Our work is first set up by national charity Nacro as an advisory service for people about to leave prison. The project’s first home was above a car parts shop on Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton, south Manchester. From these humble beginnings the service grew fast, and soon offered a wide range of activities, including music groups, arts and crafts, pottery and even caving!
1978
We set up the NACRO Education Centre just off Oxford Road. It soon reaches around 500 people with convictions each year, and the model is copied nationally with education centres set up in several cities in the UK.
1991
Nacro changes its focus nationally and decide to close its education centres. However, the staff at the Manchester centre – David Haley, Malcolm Craven and Linda Brett-Smith – decide to set up a new charity to ensure that the education work in Manchester can continue. They call the new charity Nearis – Northern Education and Advice Resettlement Services.
1993
We move into a new home – Swan Buildings, on Swan Street in Ancoats. We’ve been based there ever since. Today the building is famous for its mural, which was created in 2016 as part of the Cities of Hope street art project. It was inspired by our work supporting people with mental health problems, and depicts one of our service users.
2009
We change our name to Back on Track, to better reflect who we are and what we do. The new name is suggested by Chris, one of our service users. We held a poetry competition to launch the new name – it was won by member William, with this clever acrostic poem.
2015
We open Swan Kitchens, a cafe in our training centre. It provides cheap and healthy meals to our service users and volunteers, plus great new training and work experience opportunities. The cafe team soon begin to provide external catering, and in 2017 complete 134 orders, feeding more than 3000 people. In the next three years more than 50 people move on from the cafe to paid work.
2016
Back on Track win the ‘best volunteer involving organisation’ at the Spirit of Manchester awards. The award is received by our cafe volunteer Darryl from the Lord Mayor of Manchester.
