Heritage in Action – GM Walking Festival 2026

Heritage in Action: Walking Routes

This year, as part of our partnership with The Guardian’s Legacies of Enslavement programme, we have commissioned four new free walking and wheeling routes across Manchester, brought together under the name Heritage in Action.

Each route explores Manchester’s connections to transatlantic enslavement: from the cotton economy that built the city, to its waterways, public monuments, and the communities whose histories are woven into its streets. All four routes are leisurely, wheelchair accessible, and take place as part of the GM Walking Festival in May 2026.

Heritage in Action – Decolonial Dogs Led by Bilal Zafar Ranjha and Elmi Ali Thursday 14 May, 1pm · 1–2 miles · Starting at Manchester Cathedral

This guided walk explores Manchester’s direct relationship with Atlantic slavery through the city’s cotton economy, its radical abolitionists, and the lives of the people whose labour shaped the city we know today.

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Heritage in Action – Linford Sweeney Led by Linford Sweeney Friday 15 May, 11am · 1–2 miles · Starting at Hulme Garden Centre

This route traces Manchester’s historical links, via the Windrush generation, to the transatlantic slave trade – exploring how the cotton industry, built on enslaved labour, fuelled the city’s industrial growth and prosperity.

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Heritage in Action – Hayley Flynn Led by Hayley Flynn Wednesday 20 May, 11am · 1–2 miles · Starting at People’s History Museum

This walk examines the public art and monuments of the city, exploring the ethics and equity of what we commemorate, and drawing connections between Manchester’s past and present through the lens of the 2020 cultural objects review.

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Heritage in Action – Sajida Ismail and Anisa Saleh Led by Sajida Ismail and Anisa Saleh Saturday 23 May, 11am · 1–2 miles · Starting at Barbirolli Square

Inspired by the idea of rivers as living beings rather than resources, this decolonial guided route explores Manchester’s waterways, railways, and their connection to the transatlantic slave trade, holding together innovation and injustice, and asking how cities might begin to repair that legacy. Includes a short interactive activity at the Science and Industry Museum.

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All routes are free, open to all abilities, and wheelchair accessible. Pushchairs and mobility aids are welcome. Each participant will be provided with a headset to support the guided tour.