23.04.2026
Morson Group is proud to celebrate Executive Chairman Ged Mason OBE’s new building at the Seashell charity
On Tuesday 21st April 2026, a brand new £29m state-of-the-art college building opened at the Seashell Trust, named in honour of Morson Group Executive Chairman and Seashell President, Ged Mason OBE, whose funding helped make the construction a reality.
Seashell is a charity that provides a creative, happy and safe environment for children with complex learning difficulties and communication needs. The Royal College Manchester site at the campus will provide specialist facilities for students aged 16 to 25. It includes fully accessible teaching, assistive technology, integrated classrooms and specialist sensory rooms.
The grand opening brought together friends of the charity and other financial backers of the charity, including former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, himself a donor, and former player Bryan Robson. Speakers included charity CEO Brandon Leigh, teachers and students, and guests were invited to tour the facility and learn how the students will utilise the new space.
Within the facility, a brand new café was also opened, Soraya’s, named in honour of Ged’s wife.
Morson and Seashell’s long term partnership
Morson has a long history with the Seashell Trust, a North West based charity which provides a happy and secure environment for children and young adults with complex learning disabilities and additional communication needs, from across the UK. With Ged and father Gerry first becoming involved in the charity over 20 years ago, in 2016 the charity was one of Morson’s chosen charity partners, with colleagues working to raise almost £100,000 throughout the year.
During the COVID19 pandemic, Morson Praxis and the Morson Maker Space at the University of Salford collaborated to solve PPE challenges through innovation and technology, using their engineering facilities to develop a special prototype visor that enables deaf staff working with the children living at Seashell to lipread.
Ged Mason commented
“It’s really humbling to have a building named after you. What goes on here at this college is unbelievable. As soon as you come in you know it’s a special place. A lot of the buildings here were antiquated and dated back to the 1930s, so they needed a new state of the art facility. This is not just for the students to give them a place to learn but it’s also for the staff. I’m only a small cog in the whole thing but it’s been a passion for many years.”
Brandon Leigh, Chief Executive, said:
“This is huge for us. Over 10 years ago we set up Project Transformation with the need to build new residential housing, a new school and a new colleage. It’s been really challenging to raise the funds and Ged and family stepped in at every step of the way and has been the lead donor. We would not have this building here today if it wasn’t for Ged, we’d be building it over a longer period. This is down to him and people who supported him.”echnical skills, but to inspire confidence, ambition, and long-term career success.
