Free events are taking over the NOMA neighbourhood

MCRJourno

The NOMA neighbourhood in Manchester is inviting all to get involved during 2025 with a curated calendar of six free events - including clubs, talks, and workshops.

The events have been curated by Altogether Otherwise and started this January and February with the theme of Reading and Writing.

Celebrating a slower, more mindful start to the year, the first Happening of the year includes:

• The Jot Book Shop at NOMA’s very own hobby-house, Altogether Otherwise, will be in session every Wednesday and Saturday.

• The launch of a coffee magazine.

• Hosting the UK launch of a book about playgrounds.

• Hosting a reading from an acclaimed Manchester-based novelist, Glen James Brown, from his latest book, Mother Naked (Peninsula, 2024).

• A night of performance poetry at New Century.

• The launch a Zine archive of over 1000 self-published titles.

• Regular Altogether Otherwise clubs, Food Tastes Good, Wavy Wool Club, and Evening Gardening Club are all adopting a bookish bent.

And more.

Additionally, NOMA is partnering with MensRetreatsUK this February to deliver a four-week course that focuses on men’s mental health, named Write Your Purpose.

Starting from Monday the 3rd of February from 6pm, and continuing every Monday in Feb the programme offers free wellbeing workshops to be held at Altogether Otherwise.

There are 20 available spaces to take part, attending each week the workshop takes place.

Ben Young, Founder of Altogether Otherwise and curator of the Happenings, said: "Instead of focusing on the usual grind culture and commitment to re-inventing ourselves in the New Year, NOMA’s two month focus on Reading and Writing aims to revel in the quiet, cosy moments of life."

The Happenings will continue to take over the NOMA neighbourhood throughout the year with free-to-attend events.

Coming up is March and April’s Sewing and Growing, May and June’s Singing and Dancing, July and August’s Eating and Drinking, September and October’s Moving and Shaking, and November and December’s Mending and Making.