Spirit of Manchester 2020 – nominations have now closed
In these times of uncertainty, we feel it is incredibly important to spread positivity and celebrate true examples of our sector at its finest: volunteering, leadership, governance, creativity, support and collaboration.
We have seen an incredible amount of kindness shown across the city of Manchester with many residents, volunteers, organisations and businesses adapting their normal day-to-day routine to help others in whatever way they can. This response symbolises exactly why we run the Spirit of Manchester programme. We know that giving recognition means a lot and can really make a difference.
So this year we are simply asking….
Who do you want to thank?
There will be no competitive element: we want to celebrate everyone as it is our collective response which is the real story we want to tell.
We ask for nominations of who you feel should be acknowledged, highlighted and thanked for their outstanding work in reply to the COVID-19 crisis. It can be absolutely anyone – friend, neighbour, local community group, business up the road: our only stipulation is that they either must live in or have delivered their support within the city of Manchester.
As we will be hosting a ‘virtual’ awards event in early October, we ask that all nominations are submitted along with a picture of the person / organisation that you are nominating. Please confirm you have consent to use this picture by completing the photo consent form and uploading it to your nomination form.
Categories
- All nominations must be for the city of Manchester
- Applicants need to write a maximum of 200 words giving an example of how the nominee meets the criteria
- Please attach a picture with your nomination
- Nominations will close on 7 September 2020
PeopleofMcr
Open to individuals, groups and teams in the City of Manchester who have given their time, energy and skills (or combination of) to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
We want to hear about and celebrate the efforts of volunteers, good neighbours and anyone who has stepped up to help others during the COVID-19 crisis. We also want to give thanks to those that are inspiring even more people to do good in Manchester, and to everybody that has been key to organising and delivering the biggest act of kindness in our city’s history.
Trustee Board
Trustees ensure an organisation is run effectively, safely and is always driven by its purpose. During this time, the role of trustees has been especially challenging: adapting to new circumstances and new ways of working, making difficult decisions balancing the need to respond while thinking about the long term in circumstances. Whether your trustees have rolled up their sleeves and helped out with the day to day response or focused on supporting staff and volunteers or making sure the organisation is planning for the future, we want to hear about how trustees have helped their organisations respond to the crisis.
Inspiring Leadership
Open to individuals who have shown strong, inspiring leadership during the pandemic. A leader can be anyone – not just those who hold senior positions within organisations.
Definition of a leader: A leader is someone who can see how things can be improved and who rallies people to move toward that better vision. Leaders can work toward making their vision a reality while putting people first. Leaders need to be empathetic and connect with people to be successful.
Who do you know that has shown strong, inspiring leadership skills whilst continuing to support and motivate others during the pandemic?
Creative Community Spirit
Local individuals or groups who have developed a creative outlet or project to inspire hope and unity during the COVID-19 crisis. Open to anyone who used a form of art or creativity to support others and the community around them during the pandemic.
Equalities
The work must have taken place in Manchester within the last 12 months. Nominations must show how they address equalities issues and challenge discrimination – working on one or more of the following issues: race, disability, sex/gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, faith or other issues for which people experience discrimination.
Business
This category is open to anyone who would like to thank a business for their support during the COVID-19 crisis. This support could take many forms and this category will look at what the business offered to help the local community, what impact it had and how their support showed community spirit.
Food and Supplies
Please tell us about organisations / individuals who processed the distribution of food and supplies. We are looking for examples that tell us
- What they did
- Who they worked with
- How they organised it
- Why they responded to particular community needs
- How they went above and beyond
Spirit of Manchester Awards 2019 Winners and Nominees
Take a look at the winners from last year’s awards here
How it works - click here for how the process works, how nominations are handled and how all of this happens
Supporters
Support our Spirit of Manchester Awards, help us celebrate and reward the voluntary and community sector for all their hard work. Find out how to become a supporter here