Photography students from The Manchester College are showcasing their Greater Mancunians project as part of a major exhibition at Manchester’s Central Library.

The initiative features images of Manchester’s famous and influential people, shot at numerous locations across the city. Some 150 students from the college have participated and taken photographs of more than 100 contributors, including musicians Noel Gallagher and Johnny Marr, athletes Diane Modahl and Ricky Hatton, local politicians Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner and Bev Craig, actors Maxine Peake and Bill Roache, artists Stan Chow and AKSE P19, and a plethora of local figures including Jonathan Warburton, Simon Martin and Professor Erinma Bell.

Greater Mancunians was launched in 2017 when student Harry Yeates captured an image of John Cooper Clarke as part of his final year project. Photography tutor at The Manchester College and project lead, Harry Potts, encouraged other students to think of more people who were born and bred in Greater Manchester or who have made it their home and, in some way, have shaped the region culturally.

From this initial idea, the college began inviting a selection of musicians, actors, comedians, sportspeople, entertainers, politicians, artists, poets and community heroes to be photographed in a location of their choosing. Before long, it became obvious that an important body of work was being created.

“Greater Mancunians has been seven years in the making and we are delighted that it has culminated in the amazing work of our student photographers being showcased in one of the city’s most iconic exhibition spaces,” says Potts. “What started out as a mission to enable a student to achieve their aspirations and photograph one of their inspirations has grown into a social history photography project that truly highlights the unique place Manchester is, shining a light on the exceptional people who have both put the city on the map internationally and helped to shape it into the world-leading city it is today.”

Main image: Noel Gallagher. All photos courtesy of the Greater Mancunians project. For more information and to find out more about the photographers involved, click here. 

The Greater Mancunians photography exhibition will run from April 19 to June 30, 2024 at Manchester’s Central Library ~ free entry. For more information, click here.