Dear Members

Welcome to a new year of meetings and events. We hope you can join us throughout the programme this year, connecting with the city and its Business, Civic and Cultural institutions.
First meeting of 2025 is scheduled on the 11th of February and we have been invited to visit MMU Institute of Sports. Agenda TBC.

Please inform Secretary if you would like to attend by 31st of January.

More information about the Institute can be found here:

https://www.mmu.ac.uk/institute-of-sport

Committee Meeting - members are welcome to join, just let secretary know

MCA AGM will be held on the 8th of October.

Lunch will be provided but please let me know of any dietary requirements.

RSVP by 2nd of October and I would like to encourage all members to attend this important meeting (if you are bringing a guest or colleague all names will have to be provided)

Agenda will be shared closer to time but we do have vacancies in our committee so please consider joining and help shape the future of this association.

Vice President: Consul General of Romania Nicoleta Teodorovici has accepted a nomination.

Treasurer: VACANT

For our September Business Meeting the MCA has arranged a visit to the mideval Chetham’s Library in the Centre of Manchester. We will be guided through the library exploring its history, the building itself, occupants and the library itself. There will be opportunities to ask questions at the end.

More on the Library:

Chetham’s Library was founded in 1653 and is the oldest public library in the English-speaking world. We are an independent charity and the vast collection that we care for has been designated as having ‘national and international importance’.

The Library began acquiring books in August 1655, and has been adding to the collections ever since. As well as early printed books, the collection includes ephemera, manuscript diaries, letters and deeds, prints, paintings and glass lantern slides.

The Library is also known for being the place where Marx and Engels met to discuss their revolutionary ideas that changed the world. It’s also where Dr. John Dee supposedly summoned the Devil! You’ll find lots of fascinating stories about the people who have been here on one of our tours.

We will be welcomed by Director Amer Gaffar who will give a presentation on their facility and the work they do. 

The Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre is a landmark £4.1m state of the art laboratories, leading the way in harnessing renewable energy.  The Centre is exploring the pure science of the fuel cell itself, driving engagement with industry on a local, national and international scale and developing the technology talent of tomorrow. 

More information:

Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre | Manchester Metropolitan University (youtube.com)

Please inform me by 14th of June if you will be attending.  I will send further reminders and more details closer to the date.

We are delighted to welcome Stuart Worthington, a Consulate Liaison with the GM Police to present their work and answer any questions that the Consular Community might have.
Lunch will be provided
RSVP by 15th of May with MCA Secretary

I would like to confirm our next business meeting coming up on the 17th of April at 12.30 on ZOOM where we will be joined by Stephen Chapman Head of International Relations at His Majesty’s Passport Office.

In short, his role is to be the main point of contact between HM Passport Office and other travel document issuing authorities, consular officials in the UK and international organisations such as ICAO.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8858604037?pwd=REpLOFA0TXNweDRjNnUwVXh5S1Zkdz09&omn=87364112419

Meeting ID: 885 860 4037

Passcode: 2BMt2q

Starting with a light lunch the MCA members are invited to a guided tour around one of the most amazing buildings in Manchester.

The Bridgewater Hall is a concert venue in Manchester City Centre.  It cost around £42 million to build in the 1990’s and hosts over 300 performances a year.  It is home to the 165 year old Halle Orchestra and is the main concert venue for the BBC Philharmonic.  The building sits on a bed of 280 springs intended to insulate from external sounds.  The hall is named after the Third Duke of Bridgewater who commissioned the eponymous Bridgewater Canal that crosses Manchester although the hall and waterside frontage is situated on a specially constructed arm of the Rochdale Canal.

More information about the building and architecture:

https://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/about/history-architecture/

Please join us for our very special annual Gala Dinner at Manchester Art Gallery on the 17th of November 2023. Attached you can find the formal invitation to share with your guests. This includes a registration link with menu choices for the evening.

We will be joined by honorary guests so please show your support and join us for our flagship event at the cities most spectacular event.

The Manchester Consular Association AGM will be held on the 11th of October 2023 at Manchester Hall. Members who would like to nominate themselves for the committee please contact mca@manchesterconsularassociation.com

Buffet Lunch

Further details closer to the event

In collaboration with GMCA the Manchester Airport Group MAG are inviting MCA members to visit the airport on the 25th of September 2023.

The topics/themes will be three-fold 

- An opportunity to share with the GM consular community the future plans for MAG, 

- The importance of connectivity and the airport in the GM international strategy, 

- A reminder of the protocol for VIPs and officials traveling to and from the airport

Meeting point

Olympic House, Manchester, M90 1AA

Date: 25th of September 2023

Time: 11AM - 1.30PM

Parking can be arranged but car registration is required and MAG will provide details.

Committee Meeting (members are welcome to attend, please inform president first)

Eva Pepper, The Factory's Head of International Partnerships will be giving the presentation, which will be about The Factory, it's forthcoming opening in October with Free Your Mind (the Danny Boyle directed specially created opening immersive, Matrix-inspired dance show) and the Manchester International Festival more generally. You can also find a few more details about their international work here.

Lunch provided. Please inform secretary of any dietary requirements.

We are delighted to inform members of an informal Social hosted by our president Jo Ahmed Honorary Consul of Japan.

Committee Meeting (members are welcome to attend, please inform President first)

We welcome Spring early this year and announce our annual Spring Lunch at Manchester Hall with official invited guests. This is one of the highlight in our social calendar and an excellent opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues.
We encourage members to invite guests to this event and share a celebration of our association and brighter days ahead.

3 course lunch with arrival drinks, price set at £65 per guest.

Further information about the event and menu will follow closer to the event.

The first Business Meeting of 2023 will be held at the newly opened Manchester Museum. Members will be welcomed by its Director Esme Ward, who will be telling us about the renovations and plans for the future. The £15M renovation project, named Hello Future, will see the Musuem reopen in February 2023.

“Although our building and objects are important, the hello future transformation was about so much more.  We asked ourselves how we can care for people, their ideas, beliefs and relationships. We believe that museums have extraordinary power to build understanding and empathy between cultures, across generations and time.” (www.museum.manchester.ac.uk)

The MCA will provide a light lunch.

Committee Meeting - members are welcome to attend, please inform President first

MCA Official Committee Meeting.

Members are welcome to attend, please inform President first.

We are pleased to announce our Gala Dinner 2022 at Manchester Art Gallery.

This exclusive event will welcome Lord Mayors, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester High Sheriff and Lord Lieutenant as well as the Ambassador of Japan. Please secure tickets for you and your guests at earliest convenience to avoid dissapointment.

The MCA AGM will be held at Manchester Hall.
Welcome Drinks at 12PM with Buffett Lunch at 12.30 followed by the meeting.

Register with secretary on mca@manchesterconsularassociation.com

MCA Official Committee Meeting
Members are welcome to attend, please inform President first.

The MCA is delighted to welcome Councillor Eamonn O´Brien, Leader of Bury Council.
Councillor O´Brien holds the portfolio for young people for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and he will share Greater Manchester´s International ambitions in this field.

This event will be hosted by the Austrian Consulate, 3 Hardman Street, Manchester M3 3HF

The MCA will be hosting a Summer Social at Cloud 23 (Zeus Lounge). This will be a great opportunity for our members to socialise in a more informal setting.

Register for the event here:

https://forms.gle/1S7gJTervVxn1PAT8

Guests welcome!

The MCA is delighted to welcome Councillor Eamonn O´Brien, Leader of Bury Council.
Councillor O´Brien holds the portfolio for young people for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and he will share Greater Manchester´s International ambitions in this field.

MCA Official Committee Meeting on Zoom.

Members are welcome to attend, please inform President first.

After a cancelled event last year we are delighted to invite members and guests to the MCA Spring Lunch with official guests invited.

Further information about the event and menu will follow closer to the event.

Members are encouraged to invited guests.

The MCA welcomes Guest Speaker Terry Duffy, Area Director ACAS (Advisory, Consiliation and Arbitration Service) North West.

Terry Duffy is the Acas Area Director for the North West since January 2020. He has worked for Acas North West since 2002 and he has significant experience in handling numerous high profile collective trade disputes between trade unions and employers to resolve workplace conflict.

ACAS is the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, an independent public body offering advice and training on employment rights, best practice and policies, and resolving workplace conflict. ACAS also manages the conciliation and arbitration service for workplace disputes, a mandatory step for those interested in filing an application with the employment tribunal.

Meeting will be held on Zoom and link will be shared to members closer to date.

Guests Welcome