The ethos of ilovemygen gets into your system; it becomes a part of your mindset. Anonymous and sporadic acts of kindness soon become the default setting when an ilovemygen-er sees something unjust and not-quite-right in the city they love.
After the rioting and looting in the city of Manchester, many great people turned out to clean the streets of glass and debris and to rid the area of anything that might be used to cause harm during the nights to follow. Councellors and citizens alike started the clean-up effort at five a.m and were still going at eleven. So the ilovemygen team (aged between 13 and 40) assembled in Piccadilly Gardens to spread good feelings and help create a positive outlook in the city by providing free cups of tea, coffee and chocolates.
The community spirit in the city centre was truly heartwarming – around 500 strangers rallied together to demonstrate the passion that the people of Manchester have for their hometown. There were unofficial reports of over 1,000 people helping around Piccadilly Gardens throughout the morning; a heroic effort.
Brews and snacks were gratefully received by so many hard-working Mancunians. The aim of this morning’s ILMG effort was to reward and place value on those who had given up their time to help and we want young people in Manchester to know that there is a different way to do things. Big thanks should go to the staff at Caffe Nero, Costa Coffee and Bella Italia for constantly providing hot water for the ILMG teams.