Today is the start of the Manchester International Festival and our CEO Peter Emery took the time to reflect on why we’re sponsoring the festival and what the festival means to Electricity North West.

The Manchester International Festival is starting today (Thursday 29 June) with a fantastic celebration of the city as hundreds of people from across Greater Manchester, including taxi drivers who offered people free lifts after the tragic Manchester attack, walk a runway through Piccadilly Gardens as part of the launch event tonight.

As the region’s power operator we invest £130m every year in the network and we employ 1,700 people across the North West including 70 employees in our Manchester team who work hard to keep the lights on across Greater Manchester.

After recent events we couldn’t be more proud to serve the fantastic community of Manchester. The festival is a great way to bring everyone together and our role goes beyond keeping the lights on across the North West, we are committed to serving the creative and passionate community of Manchester in which our people work and live.

We’re proud that it’s our network that connects communities and supports the success of the Manchester International Festival.

Manchester International Festival brings together artists from different art forms and backgrounds to create dynamic, innovative and forward-thinking new work, which we stage in a rich tapestry of venues across Greater Manchester – from theatres, galleries and concert halls to railway depots, churches and car parks.

Our employees from Electricity North West will be volunteering throughout the festival and a fleet of electric vehicles are being used by coordinators during the festival.

To see how we’re celebrating the Manchester International Festival visit Twitter and Facebook.