The Future is Ours festival is an annual celebration of youth creativity centred around the importance of creativity as a transformative tool for supporting mental health and wellbeing. Delivered by mental health charity, 42nd Street through their dedicated creative space The Horsfall, ‘The Future Is Ours’ is a unique arts festival amplifying and celebrating young people’s creativity, voice, actions, and ideas. Putting young artists at the forefront of the work, allowing them to say and create what they want in the way they want.
At a time of increasing pressure on young people’s mental health, The Future Is Ours provides a supportive, relational space where creativity, connection and care come together – making sure young people can be heard, explore, learn lifelong tools and access meaningful creative mental health support while experiencing joy, meeting new people and taking part in the opportunities and projects we offer.
At a time of increasing pressure on young people’s mental health, The Future Is Ours provides a supportive, relational space where creativity, connection and care come together – making sure young people can be heard, explore, learn lifelong tools and access meaningful creative mental health support while experiencing joy, meeting new people and taking part in the opportunities and projects we offer.
Exhibition
When: 27th May - 19th June 2026 | 11am-6pm (Private friend and family launch 22nd May 5pm-7pm)
Where: The Horsfall Gallery, 87-91 Great Ancoats Street, M4 5AG
As part of The Future Is Ours Festival on May 27th at 11am The Horsfall open their gallery doors to the public celebrating youth creativity, voice, actions and ideas. This year's festival exhibition celebrated 10 years of The Horsfall’s inception looking back at how they began and where they are now. Showcasing the young people’s voices of the moment, most recent creative work and a selection from archive.
Including ‘What Connects Us’ street posters, ‘Shaping Care’ and the voices of care leavers and care estranged young people, work from their creative drop-in and collective and an Insider “What young people say about Creativity?”
Where: The Horsfall Gallery, 87-91 Great Ancoats Street, M4 5AG
As part of The Future Is Ours Festival on May 27th at 11am The Horsfall open their gallery doors to the public celebrating youth creativity, voice, actions and ideas. This year's festival exhibition celebrated 10 years of The Horsfall’s inception looking back at how they began and where they are now. Showcasing the young people’s voices of the moment, most recent creative work and a selection from archive.
Including ‘What Connects Us’ street posters, ‘Shaping Care’ and the voices of care leavers and care estranged young people, work from their creative drop-in and collective and an Insider “What young people say about Creativity?”
The Future Is ours creative mental health Symposium
a home of ideas -fred aldous window installation
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Dates: 21st May - 19th June
Where: Fred Aldous, Stevensons Sqaure Pop down to Fred Aldous for this year's window take-over by The Horsfall “A Home of Ideas.” Celebrating 10 years of The Horsfall, the installation communicates the nurture of the creative space, the heart of their work. A space of ideas, organic creativity, process-over-product, freedom, self-expression and healing through creative connection in community. Expect papier mache, street posters, giant sized brushes and doodles – all created by The Horsfall creative drop-in and collective group, alongside the teams Creative Mental Health Practitioners. |
creativity can - exhibition at home mcr
Dates: Now until - 7th June
Where: Home Mcr, Inspire Gallery, Ground Floor
Creativity can... — Creativity Can… is a collaborative exhibition by The Horsfall at 42nd Street and artist Chloe Watts, celebrating the power of creative expression as a tool for wellbeing, connection and personal transformation. | HOME
Where: Home Mcr, Inspire Gallery, Ground Floor
Creativity can... — Creativity Can… is a collaborative exhibition by The Horsfall at 42nd Street and artist Chloe Watts, celebrating the power of creative expression as a tool for wellbeing, connection and personal transformation. | HOME
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what connects us - street postersWhere: City Centre of Manchester
Dates: 18th May –12th June “What Connects Us?” - As part of The Future is Ours festival, 18 street posters created brightening up the streets of Manchester. There will be 18 different designs, created by various groups of young people at The Horsfall and external parts such as Home and Made Mcr. |
The Future of ours 2026 supporters
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"What The Horsfall does for young people in Manchester matters. We've been part of the same creative community for nearly 140 years, so giving over our window to young artists from 42nd Street each year feels like the least we can do. We're proud to be involved, and we'll keep doing it for as long as they'll have us." -Mark Aldous, Managing Director, Fred Aldous |
Fred Aldous is Manchester's family-run art, craft, and design materials shop, founded in 1886 and now in its fifth generation. From its Northern Quarter home in Stevenson Square, the shop has championed local makers, artists and creative communities for over 140 years. Each year, Fred Aldous hands over its iconic Manchester window to The Horsfall, putting work by young artists from 42nd Street in front of thousands of people passing through the city centre.
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"We’re proud to be supported in-kind by Steep Soda Co., an independent UK craft soda producer known for its all-natural, small-batch soft drinks. As a charity gestures like this really make a difference to us" |
Founded by Liam Willday and Laura Smith, Steep Soda creates low-sugar sodas using freshly pressed real fruit, natural ingredients, and carefully sourced botanicals. Their drinks are handmade in the UK and produced with a strong focus on quality, sustainability, and ethical sourcing.
Steep Soda is passionate about creating refreshing alternatives to mass-produced soft drinks with flavours crafted to highlight real ingredients rather than artificial syrups or excessive sweetness. Their range includes lemonade, ginger beer, cola, sparkling rhubarb and seasonal small-batch flavours.
As a growing independent drinks brand, Steep Soda has built a reputation for creativity, collaboration and high-quality craftsmanship recently being recognised as “Drink Producer of the Year” in the Great Food Club Awards 2025/26.
Steep Soda is passionate about creating refreshing alternatives to mass-produced soft drinks with flavours crafted to highlight real ingredients rather than artificial syrups or excessive sweetness. Their range includes lemonade, ginger beer, cola, sparkling rhubarb and seasonal small-batch flavours.
As a growing independent drinks brand, Steep Soda has built a reputation for creativity, collaboration and high-quality craftsmanship recently being recognised as “Drink Producer of the Year” in the Great Food Club Awards 2025/26.
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"We’re really excited to be working with 42nd Street on this year’s Future is Ours Festival. At Scoop, we care deeply about telling stories that genuinely connect with people, so partnering with an organisation that puts young people’s voices and creativity at the centre of everything they do feels incredibly meaningful to us.
“The work 42nd Street does across Greater Manchester is inspiring, creating spaces where young people can feel supported through creativity and community. The festival captures that brilliantly and we’re proud to be helping bring those stories to a wider audience across the city.” |
Scoop is a brand and communications agency that helps brilliant brands and organisations grow by becoming an extension of their team. We take the time to understand the people behind the mission, the audiences they want to reach and the impact they want to make, so the work we deliver is effective.
Our job is to close the gap between how good an organisation actually is and how well it's known — using the right mix of media, influencers, content and events to build genuine visibility, not just reach.
For charities, that means getting under the skin of the cause — finding the stories that actually move people and making sure they reach the right audiences. The goal is always real impact, not just awareness
Our job is to close the gap between how good an organisation actually is and how well it's known — using the right mix of media, influencers, content and events to build genuine visibility, not just reach.
For charities, that means getting under the skin of the cause — finding the stories that actually move people and making sure they reach the right audiences. The goal is always real impact, not just awareness
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Applique Apparel Ltd is an independent Manchester-based design and print studio specialising in high-quality custom clothing and branded workwear. Founded in 2005 and based in the Northern Quarter, they produce everything from small runs of T-shirts to large-scale uniform and merchandise orders.
Applique Apparel supports businesses, events, and creative projects by delivering durable, high-quality garments and a collaborative, reliable service that helps organisations present their brand with impact. |
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"We wanted to support a local charity that truly makes a difference, and 42nd Street does that. Young people today face so many pressures, worries and challenges. Access to safe, supportive mental health services can change lives. They have spent over 40 years helping young people with their mental health and emotional wellbeing through free and confidential support. We believe kindness matters, conversations matter, and nobody should feel like they have to struggle alone. Supporting 42nd Street means supporting brighter futures, stronger communities, and reminding young people that there’s always someone ready to listen.💖"
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CREATING COLOURFUL THINGS FOR COLOURFUL PEOPLE SINCE 1997 - Aflecks, Manchester. About Us | Luna
