Neville and Giggs Let Homeless Activists Stay in Manchester Building

Neville and Giggs Let Homeless Activists Stay in Their Manchester Building

In October 2015, former Manchester United players Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs let a group of homeless activists stay in their empty Manchester building through the winter. They had not bought it as a shelter: the activists had already moved into the old Stock Exchange, which the pair planned to turn into a hotel, and the owners chose to let them remain rather than evict them. The story was shared worldwide as a feel-good headline, and the real version is just as human, if a little messier.

What happened in October 2015

The building at the heart of the story is the former Manchester Stock Exchange on Norfolk Street, in the city centre. Neville and Giggs had bought it for a reported £1.5 million and won planning permission in 2015 to convert it into a boutique hotel, with building work due to start the following February.

In mid-October 2015 a group of homeless people and campaigners calling themselves the Manchester Angels, led by Wesley Hall, had just been told to leave an office block elsewhere in the city. They moved into the empty Stock Exchange instead. On 19 October ITV News reported that the group was occupying the building.

Instead of going to court, Neville phoned Hall. According to Hall, the two footballers agreed that the group could stay for a few months, until the builders arrived. Speaking to Channel 4 News, Hall said he broke down in tears after the call.

The video above, shared at the time, shows the building and the activists explaining their plans.

The “Sock Exchange” and the activists' plans

The Manchester Angels gave the building a new nickname, the “Sock Exchange,” as part of an appeal for warm clothing for rough sleepers. Early reports said they hoped to shelter around 30 people, mostly young men, and to bring in volunteers and support services such as health checks and help with addiction. Those numbers came from the activists themselves and were never independently confirmed.

The group promised to look after the building, keep a record of its condition and leave it in better shape than they found it. For Hall, the point was simple:

“To us, this is a lifeline; this is saving lives throughout the winter period,” he told Channel 4 News.

The former Stock Exchange itself has a long history. It was designed by the Bolton architects Bradshaw, Gass and Hope, built between 1904 and 1906 for £86,000, and has been Grade II listed since 1974. By 2015 it had stood empty for some time.

Getting the facts straight

Several details in the viral version of this story were wrong or exaggerated:

“Footballers buy hotel for the homeless.” The pair bought the building as a commercial hotel project. Their generosity was in allowing an existing occupation to continue, not in buying a shelter.
“Manchester United coach.” Neville had retired as a United player in 2011. In 2015 he was an England assistant coach and a television pundit, and Giggs was United's assistant manager at the time.
A neat, conflict-free shelter. On 25 October 2015 police were called to a large disturbance at the building, after a dispute between activists inside and homeless people who had been refused entry. Two days later, ITV reported, Neville opened the doors to more homeless people.

None of this cancels the kindness involved. It does show how difficult it is to run a safe, informal shelter in a building that was never designed for one.

Why squatting a commercial building was possible

In England and Wales, squatting in a residential building has been a criminal offence since 1 September 2012, punishable by up to six months in prison, a fine of up to £5,000, or both. Non-residential buildings like an old stock exchange were left out of that law. Occupying them is usually a civil matter, so owners must go to court for a possession order before people can be removed.

That meant Neville and Giggs had a real choice. They could have sought a fast-track interim possession order and cleared the building, as many owners do. Choosing to wait until the builders arrived cost them little in practical terms, but it gave a group of people a roof for several cold months and drew national attention to rough sleeping in Manchester.

What became of the building

The activists eventually moved on and work began on the conversion. The Stock Exchange Hotel opened in 2019, run by the footballers' company GG Hospitality, with around 40 bedrooms and a restaurant originally led by chef Tom Kerridge. In 2024 it joined Marriott's Autograph Collection.

Wesley Hall and the Manchester Angels reportedly went on to occupy other empty buildings in the city over the following years, keeping up pressure on councils and landlords about the gap between the number of people sleeping rough and the number of empty properties.

For Neville and Giggs, the episode became a footnote to a long redevelopment. For the people who slept in the old trading hall that winter, it meant something more immediate: a dry floor, company and a few months without being moved on. Both things can be true, and the story is worth remembering for that reason.

How you can help people sleeping rough

The Stock Exchange episode was a one-off, but there are everyday ways to help:

Report a rough sleeper to local outreach services. In England, StreetLink connects members of the public with teams that can offer support.
Give to established charities and food banks, which can turn small donations into beds, meals and advice.
Donate warm clothing, especially socks, coats and sleeping bags, to shelters that ask for them, the very idea behind the “Sock Exchange” nickname.
Treat people as people. A greeting, a hot drink or a few minutes of conversation can matter more than it seems.

Sources: ITV News: Squatters move in on Neville and Giggs hotel (19 October 2015, with later updates); Wikipedia: Stock Exchange Hotel; The Caterer: Stock Exchange Hotel joins Marriott's Autograph Collection; Wikipedia: Squatting in England and Wales; video via YouTube; Manchester Angels on Facebook; original report via True Activist.

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