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The city’s worker bee motif has been part of the city’s heraldry for more than 150 years as an emblem of the industrious Mancunian spirit. During 2017, it took on an even more powerful meaning as a symbol of unity following the tragic events of May 22 Link .

Bee in the City was a large scale public art event which took place in Manchester between 23 July and 23 September 2018. More than 100 large, fibreglass bee sculptures were placed at the city’s landmarks and some lesser known “undiscovered gems”. Each of the bees, which stand 1½ metres in height, was decorated with its own unique design, created by regional professional, emerging and amateur artists to celebrate the unique buzz of Manchester, from its industrial heritage to its vibrant music scene (Link Bee in the City website).

At the end of the event, the majority (77) of the bees were auctioned to raise funds for the We Love MCR Charity Link . All 131 little Bees created by children and young people as part of the Learning Programme were returned to the schools and youth groups that designed them.

Greengate is the original historic core of Salford and sits within the easternmost part of the City of Salford. Comprising 13 hectares of strategically located land, it is bounded by the River Irwell, Victoria Bridge Street and Chapel Street, Blackfriars Road and Trinity Way, which forms part of the Manchester inner ring road.

In the mid-1800s some two thirds of the population of the city lived in the Greengate District but, by the 1930s, it was in a state of decay and declared a slum clearance area. More recently, the area was developed first for large scale industrial and manufacturing purposes and then, following the decline of these industries in the 1970s and 1980s, the area became occupied by a mixture of generally low grade employment uses and long stay surface car parking.

Following years of decline, the area has been designated for large scale development including a mixture of high rise residential and commercial buildings.

See Link (Greengate Regeneration Strategy Adopted March 2014) for more information