Gary Neville spearheads UnitedCity launch to drive Manchester’s recovery

Former footballer and co-owner of GG Hospitality Gary Neville is spearheading the launch of an initiative to drive Greater Manchester’s economic recovery.

UnitedCity, a campaign and research group made up of business leaders, aims to bring people back into the city centre.

It seeks to do this by commissioning independent research to better understand the transmission data for Covid-secure commercial premises, public transport, retail and leisure; campaigning to get businesses and workforces back into the city centre; and offering support and resources to those in need.

Other business leaders taking part in the initiative are Will Lewis of OBI Property; Chris Oglesby, chief executive of property company Bruntwood; Lisa Morton, founder of PR and communications agency Roland Dransfield; and Frank McKenna, chief executive of Downtown in Business.

Neville said: “We are a culture of people who want to get up and do things. We’re not programmed to sit at home. That’s where UnitedCity is going to be bold in its messaging of let’s get people going again.”

Oglesby added: “The city centre in particular needs life breathed back into it; it’s nothing without its people, and the culture, hospitality, retail and leisure businesses within it have helped create Manchester’s reputation as a hotbed of innovation and dynamism.”

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