Salford LIDS

History of LIDS

Salford LIDS started in 1999.

It began as a group of people interested in bringing a LETS scheme to Salford. (LETS stands for 'Local Exchange Trading System', which started in Canada in the 1980s.) Manchester had a LETS scheme starting in 1992, and Salford residents decided that their city should have the same. Unfortunately the plan foundered, but the members went on to launch the 'LETS Information Distribution Service', or LIDS.

When LIDS was re-launched in 2004, the members decided to try a new acronym. It's now 'Local Initiatives, Diverse Skills', and reflects our commitment to work locally and make the most of what people have to offer.

LIDS has several active members and calls on other professionals as and when they are needed.

Spokesperson Mike Scantlebury says: "LIDS is right on your doorstep, here in Salford. We can be your first port of call for help and advice."

LIDS Mission Statement

Salford LIDS exists 'to develop skills, provide support, and work alongside the people of Salford to empower the community and raise standards in the long-term, for tainable regeneration of the city'.

People in LIDS, past and present.

Here are the people who helped set up the organisation, work for it and run it now.

Christian took up a new job in 2008 and is now training to work full-time in the Health Service.

However, his commitment to LIDS and the work we do as a group is undiminished. He manages to find a few hours in his spare time to devote to ongoing projects. 

It was always thus. Christian has mainly worked behind the scenes, usually at the mixing desk. He also has many years experience making his own films, several of which have been broadcast on BBC2. He enjoys radio and is happy to contribute to a regular show for Salford City Radio, (if you look on Facebook, you'll find a page dedicated to 'The Jam').

However, in 2008 he stepped out of the shadows and decided to take a more prominent role. He is the current Chair of LIDS.

Mike helped get LIDS started in 1999, when he worked for Salford Urban Mission. Mike went on to take up jobs with a succession of community development organisations in Salford, but is now freelance, which enables him to devote more time to LIDS.

He also works hard at fund-raising, for a number of different local community groups.

 He can be found lurking on his own website, trying to sell books.  Click Mike

Brophy has worked all round the world, but still finds time to help out LIDS in Salford. Having scored successes on the music front, he has now come up with an entire training course for the music business, which he launched earlier this year. More info on his own websites, Music Industry Learning and Infec'tive Media.

Roni Ellis is well known all over the North West for her work with young people. She is the founder and joint owner of 'Blueberry Youth', which runs drama coaching and workshops in all kinds of acting skills for different age groups.

Roni can also be seen regularly at Salford Arts Theatre on Liverpool Street, where she acts, directs, and even manages to serve behind the bar. Roni has been instrumental in designing the work we carried out with young people over the last year.

Jane has been a member for many years, often in a supportive role. However, since November 2006 Jane has been involved in fund-raising and maintenance and has helped LIDS move in the direction of podcasting and health.

Ross McCormack trained at Salford University, and liked the place so much, he stayed.

He's been acting, directing and script-writing for the last few years, and has made a major contribution to our work with Arts Council funding in 2009.

He's currently helping us explore funding options for more drama and film-making in the coming year.

Ian Ogden is a film maker, with several short pieces to his credit.

In recent months, he has also recently started honing his theatre skills, and directed a major performance shortly before Christmas.

Ian prefers a collaborative style and is therefore ideally suited to working with the kinds of groups that LIDS meets.

Amber Sanchez is an artist, mainly working with clay. She has produced many gnomes, apparently.

Also, in her role with Ordall Hall, she educates young people about Tudor times and is often found in schools, sometimes in costume.

In her new career with LIDS, Amber has expressed an uncommon interest in financial matters and is supporting our Treasurer. Thank you, Amber.

Annie is a trained photographer and came in recently to help us put up our LIDS exhibition at The Angel on Chapel Street.

We're hoping that she might be able to join us on other projects in the future.

Jim has been working for many years in the computer field, but became interested in community enterprise in the 1990s. He was around, and able to devote some of his distinctive insight into helping to get Salford LETS off the ground, then went on to create LIDS, as a more sophisticated approach to the problems of social deprivation and the lack of an entreprenuerial spirit in the area.

He is also an active member of Toastmasters, which enables people to learn the arts of public speaking and expressing yourself in front of an audience.