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The MIF21: Thank You party at Mackie Mayor (6/9/2021)

It seemed as if the past two months had been a hurricane dream for me; one minute we’d finished the countdown on Deansgate and the next most of us were gathered inside Mackie Mayor. As usual MIF had gifted me with a lot of new ‘first times’. I got to see some incredible animal murals as well as explore Mackie Mayor with its beautiful high glass ceiling and cosy low lights.

Hosted, yet again by the amazing Heidi Taylor-Wood and Carmen Ffye Paulo, who I first mentioned here:

https://themancyank.blogspot.com/2021/07/mif21-looking-forward-to-tomorrow-part.html

The beginning of the evening was interspaced with a few people reading their poetic entries from the new book ‘I Love You Too’ and  then there was a slight break as the food vendors opened up and the DJs started playing their sets.

Unfortunately, due to the audio equipment and the size of the structure it was really difficult for me to hear what was being said into the microphone (all things that are unavoidable although you know the audio technicians were doing an amazing working in those difficult conditions) but from what I was able to hear I could tell we were all thrilled and grateful to be there.

Only about half of my Sea Change peers showed up and I think it may have been due to work or it being a Monday, which would have made it a struggle to attend the party that night but all the faces I did see warmed my heart.

I got a chance to catch up with David (whom I’d met through a Sea Change feedback zoom because he’d been in a different group colour to mine) and I caught up with Maggie again, whose love letter had been to Manchester’s first backpacking hostel, something she’d been fighting over with the city council for years and unfortunately that morning had lost the case to. I also caught up with Jake, Terry, Monika, Annie, Rachel, Marina, Christina, Sue and Ayako, and Antonia although for most of them it was just a quick hello and goodbye for me.

A lot of the books that were left over from MIF21s Big Ben Lying Down With Political Books were there for people to take home, needless to say my new personal  library now has four lovely new (classic) volumes within its slowly growing collection; ‘The Communist Manifesto’ by Marx and Engels, two Elizabeth Gaskell novels: ‘Sons and Daughters’ and ‘North and South’ and ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence; none of which I’ve read but have always wanted to own in order to be able to read them at some point.

I’m a free spirit and I know there’s a big chance I’ll see my fellow Sea Changers throughout the city but also at whatever MIF creates for their next festival in 2023 because this festival is a celebration of art, culture, opinions, emotions, our planet and humanity as well as being a celebration and full on party for my city (and even someone like me, who isn’t a big party person and would prefer to stay at home reading, is full on here for it).

Sea Change and MIF changed my life and I’m so grateful I got to be a part of it. A lot of energy, time, money and love goes into making it all possible and I’m really looking forward to either volunteering or participating in MIF23. 






























































































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