[10 boroughs, 12 interviews. Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan]
[Joy, Manchester]
I'm Joy France. I am living in Greater Manchester, have done for the last 30 odd years, I'm having a great time.
[Helen, Stockport]
I'm Helen, I'm 44. I've been here for 14 years.
[Laura, Paddy, Olusola, Rochdale]
All our group have passed through things. Whether it's homelessness, mental health, addiction and we all just try to use the stuff that we've been through to try and change the system for people that are still going through that.
[Sheridan, Liz, Bury]
This is Liz, she's a brilliant mum of two. She's a bit wild on a night out!
[Esther, Farai, Wigan]
He's like an uncle to me.
[Gaynor, Trafford]
I wouldn't live anywhere else to be honest.
[Raphael, Tameside]
My name is Raphael.
[Fiona, Jackson, Imani, Salford]
It’s my time to shine.
[Agatha, Oldham]
I can walk in Oldham with my eyes closed.
[Rosa, Trafford]
When I'm passing by they just love the flowers.
[Shaun, Wigan]
We're just around the corner from my house.
[Casey, Bury]
I moved here almost 25 years ago.
[Kalpna, Bolton]
Bolton is home for me.
[What is special about living in Greater Manchester?]
Imani: What I do like is that the community is welcoming.
Fiona: I enjoy going on long walks along the Greenway is a good place to do it because it's about a mile long.
Paddy: You've got the pioneers an't ya’? Everyone cracks on about that. But it's a good example of how in Rochdale, they're always looking to try something a little bit different and they kind of champion people that have got a bit downtrodden.
Casey: We’re within touching distance of being in that city centre vibe, but you're almost in the countryside as well. So, it has a bit of both.
Raphael: People still talk to each other and say ‘hello’ to strangers. That's a common thing up in the north, especially in Manchester.
Joy: Manchester delivers whatever you’re looking for. Something about the people in Manchester that just make it easier to just go with the flow.
Kalpna: We're in a multicultural area, people coming into this temple, not from the Hindu background, that is a very much a plus point of being in Bolton and in Greater Manchester.
Rosa: Public transportation, I think that is the thing to drive this city into a better, prosperous place.
Casey: Thriving means somebody wants to come here. They want to live here, they want to be here. Bury seems to have been on the up since I moved here over 20 years ago.
Farai: It's, how Greater Manchester has made it feel as if you're just one city, one large city in a way, because how the transport system is connected.
Esther: That oneness also brings up opportunities.
[What does living a good life mean to you?]
Sherridan: Making sure my family are happy, safe, well provided for.
Gaynor: To me, living a good life would be not living in poverty. Because I think that is a really massive one. It's very difficult to live in poverty and have good mental health.
Joy: The good life is about having a purpose. And not just an individual purpose. A purpose that's connected to other people and actually living, something that feels amazing because you're part of something bigger.
Olusola: I feel like everyone is a product of their community. If there is a peace in a community, everything that is going on, then there will be peace of mind in your home.
Shaun: When I was a kid, because of my disability, I spent ages and ages in the house. When all my mates were making their own mates, I sort of skipped that phase. But for me, there's a lot of buildings, that I have to walk past that, I think, well, I might want to be in there. You can't get in. So, a good life is just always being out and about.
[What changes do you want to see in Greater Manchester?]
Helen: We have a bus pass, and it would be nice to have carers to go free.
Jackson: It would be nice if Swinton had a big festival as one to celebrate Eid and show that we appreciate other religions.
Gaynor: More social housing is definitely needed around here. But also continuing the improvement of the town centre, the regeneration of the town centre, because that's going to make such a difference to everybody that does live here.
[Can you summarise Greater Manchester in your own words?]
Laura: Rochdale's like the pioneers of co-production. Let's get together, you know, get our thinking caps on. What can we do to make things better for people?
Raphael: For me, I think Manchester is the best place in the country. It’s the real city.
Agatha: We have buses where we pay two pounds one way and five pounds a day. That's great.
Gaynor: There are so many people in the area doing brilliant things for the community. Full of Mancunians which are just the, the best people on earth, really.
Paddy: That sense of community is stirring back up again, and the more that we can fuel that, the more that we can encourage that and nurture that then I think that it's going benefit a lot of people.
[Together we are Greater Manchester]