An ambitious new project is addressing pandemic induced job loss while boosting the retrofit sector in Greater Manchester.

Nick Prescott of The Meteor reports on an exciting new project which is offering theatre workers made redundant by COVID the chance to re-train as retro-fitters, insulating homes throughout Greater Manchester.

Retrofit Get-in was started by Andrew Glassford, a freelance sound engineer and production manager living in Manchester. It’s supported by Red Co-op, a worker co-operative that specialises in retrofit and renewable design.

Travis Heiner currently works part-time as Head of Stage at the Royal Exchange Theatre. He’s learning the retrofit ropes to pick up extra work during the pandemic

Andrew set up Retrofit Get-in to help those like himself made redundant by Covid-19 back into work through domestic retrofit projects specifically by utilising the transferrable skills many workers have to take on another existential issue, the climate crisis.

Retrofit Get-in is a labour co-operative where theatre workers can come whenever they are between gigs. Starting up in the summer, the project has employed nine theatre and live events workers and has more projects in the pipeline.

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