Salford’s centenary year will celebrate ordinary people instead of ‘limelight-chasing politicians’, according to Mayor Paul Dennett.
2026 marks one hundred years since Salford was officially granted city status by a Royal Charter by King George V on 21 April 1926.
Plans are underway for a programme of cultural, civic and community-led events across the city to celebrate Salford’s 100th anniversary.
Earlier this month, a new centenary flag, featuring the Salford 100 branding, was raised by Mayor Dennett before he promised that the centenary celebrations would promote the “Spirit of Salford.”
“This is not a time for politicians or senior officers of the Council to be standing on soapboxes or to be chasing the limelight,” he said.
“This is a time for the Council to facilitate, to ensure that the empowerment that should sit behind our centenary year is rightfully placed at the ordinary resident’s door because this is a celebration of them.
“The centenary will be an opportunity for them to get involved to shape and ultimately tell us about what we can do to celebrate the City of Salford.”
At a special Civic Reception attended by representatives from the City of Stoke-on-Trent, who marked their centenary in 2025, Mayor Dennett outlined that the celebrations would align with Salford’s motto: ‘The welfare of the people is the highest law.’
“This isn’t a time for politicians or senior officers of the Council to be standing on soapboxes or to be chasing the limelight.
“In all honesty, how can I say that the welfare of the people is the highest law or talk about the spirit of Salford if we don’t demonstrate that in how we programme our centenary year.
“Our centenary year is going to be about the magic of the City of Salford, which is the people of this city, the communities, the diversity and how those communities work with one another to create the spirit of Salford.
“It will be about how they work with one another to look out for one another, to support one another, to ensure that their health and well-being and welfare needs are met.
“This is what really the spirit of Salford is all about and ultimately our centenary year should absolutely reflect that.”
