Celebrate Manchester's local voluntary and community sector in 2025
On Thursday 2 October 2025 at the Sheridan Hotel, we were delighted to host our 13th annual Spirit of Manchester Awards, highlighting the excellent work being carried out in Manchester's voluntary and community sector.
Please see the link below for a review of the evening.
Spirit of Manchester Awards 2025 Review
Please see below for a full list of award winners and those who were shortlisted for each category.
Categories
Volunteer of the Year (Supported by Wythenshawe Community Housing Group)
Winner: Paul Arnold
Shortlist:
- Tahera Khanam
- Wardeh Alnasir
Volunteering Team (Supported by Townhouse Lettings)
Winner: The SPACE Group Manchester
Shortlist:
- Village Angels
- MASH
Volunteer Involving Organisation
Winner: Booth Centre
Shortlist:
- Levenshulme Inspire
- LGBT Foundation
Young Volunteer of the Year (in acknowledgement of Volunteers' Week in June 2025) (Supported by Clyde & Co)
Winner: Hana Salih
Tackling Inequalities (Supported by Manchester City Council: Inclusion and Engagement Team)
Winner: Contact Hostel
Shortlist:
- Irish Community Care Manchester
- African Rainbow Family
Inspiring Campaign
Winner: GMR Rail Accessibility Campaign
Shortlist:
- Manchester Central Foodbank
- Unbound Programme CIC
Creative Community Spirit (Supported by One Manchester)
Winner: Adele Owen
Shortlist:
- Gorton Women's Network
- Xincai Tan
Partnership and Collaboration (Supported by Assura)
Winner: Caritas Salford
Shortlist:
- Manchester Football Association
- The JOBS Project Manchester
Trustee/Committee Member of the Year (in acknowledgement of Trustees Week in November 2025)
Winner: John Herstell
Shortlist:
- Ann Potter
Service User Involving Organisation (Supported by Manchester City Council: Our Manchester Funds Team)
Winner: The Getting It Right Team
Shortlist:
- Europia
- MASH
Social Economy Champion
Winner: Across Ummah
Shortlist:
- Manchester Football Association
- Unbound Programme CIC
Community Cohesion (Supported by MHPP)
Winner: HideOut Youth Zone
Shortlist:
- British Muslim Heritage Centre
- Cheetham Cultural Festival
Community and Business Collaboration (Supported by Bidfood)
Winner: Community Grocery and The Flava People
Shortlist:
- Westwood Recruitment
- Houlihan Lokey
The Dr Sylvia Sham Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Voluntary Sector
Winner: Alan Kwan
Supporters
There are a number of ways you can become a supporter of our Spirit of Manchester Awards and help us celebrate and reward the voluntary and community sector for all their hard work. See more on how to be a supporter.
How do the awards work?
Click here for how the process works, how nominations are handled and how all of this happens.
Spirit of Manchester Awards 2025 Winners and Shortlist
Spirit of Manchester 2025 Awards brochure
Find out about all the amazing organisations and individuals that were shortlisted for the Spirit of Manchester Awards 2025. View our Spirit of Manchester 2025 Awards brochure.
Spirit of Manchester 2025 Review
Coming soon!
Table names 2025
This year, as we celebrate the Spirit of Manchester, we are proud to mark the 80th anniversary of the 1945 Pan-African Congress, a defining moment in global history that took place right here in our city. Rooted in the ideals of Pan-Africanism- the belief in unity, solidarity, and liberation for people of African descent worldwide, the Congress brought together activists, thinkers, and leaders who shaped the course of anti-colonial struggles. Manchester became a meeting ground not just of minds, but of movements, and of people who dared to imagine a decolonised world built on dignity, justice, and freedom. To honour this legacy, each of our tables has been named after a prominent activist, thinker, or change-maker whose work either shaped the Pan-African Congress directly, echoed through Manchester in powerful ways, or influenced the wider Pan-African Movement. These names are not just historical, but they represent the spirit of community organising, resistance, and hope that continues to live on in our neighbourhoods today.
If you would like further information on the table theme, please contact the Membership Team – membership@macc.org.uk
Take a look at the winners from last year’s awards here.