The first Spirit of Manchester awards was a great success. Manchester’s thriving volunteers and community groups were highlighted through films and rewarded with awards handcrafted by This is Pewter and presented by the Lord Mayor at a special awards ceremony on Thursday 26 September at the NOMA. Winners were determined by the audience voting on short films of the projects made by Manchester Community Reporters, see the winners on the MyManchester website. You can also see some of the projects films on our Give locally pages.
The raffle and silent auction on the night raised over £400 for the We Love MCR charity.
The Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Naeem ul Hassan said: “It was an honour to present the Spirit Awards and recognise all the volunteers and community groups who help make Manchester a better place to live. The awards are a way for us all to show our appreciation for the time and hard work local residents have given to help other people. This type of community spirit is what truly makes Manchester a world-class city.
The evening also raised a lot of money for the We Love Manchester charity and I’d like to thank everyone who put their hand in their pocket. The money will help us continue to improve lives and the life chances of Manchester people.”
The winners of the eight award categories were:
Volunteer of the year
Winner Colette Cronshaw, The Men’s Room
Nominees
• Dorothy Thomas, Northern Quarter Greening
• Tom Griffiths, Europia
Volunteer involving organisation
Winner The Booth Centre
Nominees
• Simply Cycling
• Back on Track
Small business of the year
Winner Community Minded Ltd
Nominees
• FC United of Manchester
Most innovative group
Winner Simply Cycling
Nominees
• CARISMA - Community Alliance for Renewal, Inner South Manchester Area
• Levenshulme Market CIC
Best service user involving organisation
Winner Indian Senior Citizens Centre
Nominees
• The Joyce Layland Centre LGBT Centre
Most successful campaign
Winner Greater Manchester Poverty Commission
Nominees
• Love Equal marriage
• Love Your Bike
Best partnership initiative
Winner Manchester Refugee Employment Partnership
Nominees
• Friends of Fallowfield loop
• Manchester Cathedral
Contribution to the voluntary and community sector
Winner Breakthrough UK
You can also watch films of all the shortlisted candidates on MyManchester
'Our Spirit of Manchester Awards event was a fantastic celebration of the role the 3,000 voluntary and community groups play in this city. From the efforts of individual volunteers to campaigns run by several working in partnership, what came out loud and clear was the sense of commitment to the communities of Manchester.
In these difficult times, it’s important that we applaud that, while also reminding everyone of the issues we are trying to tackle. There are many people who feel excluded, lonely, vulnerable, struggling and there are many people who are working hard to help, to make a difference and to change lives. We shared some of those stories to inspire and encourage more people to get involved. We were delighted to receive so much support from local businesses, the City Council and the Lord Mayor in doing so.’
Mike Wild, Chief Executive Macc
Thank you to our five Judges who determined the shortlisted candidates; the Lord Mayor of Manchester – Councillor Naeem ul Hassan, who also presented the awards on the evening, Jeremy Myers - the riot clean up man, Val Jones - Chief Executive Officer, Social Enterprise North West of England, Atiha Chaudry - Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester and Maya Sharma - Heritage Lottery Fund.
Thank you also to The co-operative who provided the venue, buffet and drinks and to the generous supporters who donated prizes for our raffle and auction.
Photos of the ceremony can be found on our Flickr page.
For more information Email: [email protected] Tel: 0161 834 9823.