Manchester International Festival supports climate fund

MANCHESTER International Festival (MIF) has donated £7,000 to Foundation, to compensate for carbon emissions released by artists and staff travel during the two-week celebration of arts and culture.

MIF marks the first donation to Foundation, a climate fund for the North West, which aims to raise £3m over the next three years.

The money donated will help Foundation deliver funding for local, community based carbon-reducing projects that combat climate change.

Jennifer Cleary, head of creative learning at MIF, said: “We wanted to find a way to compensate for unavoidable emissions caused by staff and artists travelling to and from the Festival.

“We’re excited that we can do this in a way that directly benefits local communities and we wish Foundation all the best in reaching their £3m target.”

Mark Turner, chief officer of Foundation, said: “I’m delighted and incredibly proud that our first major donation has come from such a prestigious event as Manchester International Festival. The Festival is dedicated to putting on world firsts and they’ve continued this tradition by choosing to invest in Foundation.”