Met gets lessons on inclusion from Old Trafford

The Limelight community hub in Old Trafford is set to open its doors later this year, and aims to be a model not only of integrative health care but also of community cohesion.

It was visited earlier this month by the London Met’s most senior officer responsible for community and religious integration Commander Mak Chishty, who described the hub as ‘a fully integrated and inclusive space… with a sense of place, belonging and neighbourliness at its heart’.

Limelight is being built by Trafford Housing Trust and will include a new GP surgery and pharmacy as well as a library, café, restaurant and hairdressers. The scheme will bring old and young generations together, through housing and amenities for vulnerable adults as well as a nursery and services for families and young people.

The housing trust worked closely with the local community throughout the development process, using their ideas to guide the design and principles of the project.

Commander Chishty said in a press release: ‘I could tell as soon as we set foot on the site that Limelight is not going to be just another civic building badged as a “community centre”, and that it has been designed to be a fully integrated and inclusive space.

‘I will be sharing my observations with colleagues and partners in London, including those from government, as I think we could all learn something from the Trust’s innovative and bold approach to the Limelight concept and the way it looks to help breakdown social, cultural and religious divisions by bringing people together.’

• Limelight is set to be opened and fully operational by autumn 2017. To see a fly-through film of how Limelight will look visit https://youtu.be/VK67AKqfbXU