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Café makes a connection

Angela Kelly
9/ 7/2008

AN UNPREPOSSESSING door and a shop window displaying modern artwork may prompt little attention from passersby on Dale Street in the Northern Quarter, but this actually leads to an organisation at the city’s heart.

Nexus Art Café has evolved over the past three years from a night café offering safety to late-night revellers looking for nothing more controversial than a coffee and a taxi, to a meeting place for the ever-growing population of city dwellers.

It all began with the Rev Chris Acher – an unlikely missionary. A Londoner who trained to be a Methodist minister in Manchester after an early career in IT, he was initially based in the affluent parish of Knutsford.

But in his late 20s he really wanted to do something in the city centre, something more involved with his own generation.

He moved to the 200-year-old Methodist central hall on Oldham Street, just around the corner from what is now Nexus café.

And, as churches have always involved themselves in urban life, he sought to do the same.

Chris Acher wanted to open a night café "to provide a safe space for young people late at night, where they could ring for a genuine taxi, have a coffee, not get into fights, that sort of thing."

So, the basement of the building – an area hardly used at the time – was transformed. Working with the council and police, it soon became successful.

People using the café and volunteering support began to steer its use by their requests.

Two years ago, local artist Bex Melvin stumbled across the night café and a creative partnership ensued which brought art exhibitions, dance workshops and other activities to Nexus.

They had help from Greater Manchester Music Action Zone, from the Methodist Church itself and from the National Lottery to create more arts space. They opened longer and expanded facilities.

What Chris Acher began to find was that it was attracting a real cross-section of ages and types who all wanted different things from Nexus.

"But what was quite clear was that there were many people living in apartments, often alone, who didn’t even know their next-door neighbour," he said.

"The way we saw Nexus developing was as a community centre where people could get together and just have a coffee, something to eat and a chat if they wanted to." This year, Nexus opened as an art café – a creative place where artists can exhibit work and where events take place.

Its most recent exhibition was a month-long focus on climate change. Although there is no overt religious message, there is the opportunity for anyone who wants to find out more about Christianity to meet like-minded people.

Each Wednesday evening, Sanctus1 – a Christian cultural discussion group – meets there, while other activities include open mic sessions, clothing swap shops, comedy nights, art forums, reading groups, debates and music sessions.

About 100 people a day now go through that almost missable door on Dale Street and down the stairs into a new and pleasantly sociable world.

Chris is not only delighted with the café’s success but optimistic about its effectiveness. "I think it shows the need for this kind of central getting together in the middle of the city," he said.

"Give people decent coffee and food and the opportunity to talk to others, then responding to what they want, seems to be the way forward."

If he has helped change other people’s lives, his own has certainly undergone a makeover. His wife, Stephanie, whom he met when she was teaching religious studies at a Knutsford school, gave birth to their first child in May.

Chris declares himself "very happy" with his life and the turns it has taken, and is "delighted" with the way Nexus – which means "to connect" – has grown.

"We’re on Facebook now, you know", he proudly informed me.

"People send in various comments, but one just said ‘when are you opening in Birmingham?’ Well, you never know…"

For more information about Nexus visit www.nexusonline.org or ring 0161 236 0100