The very best individuals and organisations in Manchester have been named at the This is Manchester Awards 2023.
The awards celebrate the incredible talent across Greater Manchester, in categories championing industries including arts and culture, hospitality, fashion, and the night-time economy.
More than 500 people attended the glittering awards ceremony on 9 November, with stars including Christine McGuinness, Brooke Vincent, Lucy Mecklenburgh, and Adam, Ryan and Scott Thomas.
The fifth This is Manchester Awards were hosted by Jenny Powell and Scott Thomas, and this year including the first-ever Dianne Oxberry Special Impact Awardin honour of the late presenter.
The special ward went to Khatra Paterson, who was chosen from a shortlist of 10 worthy recipients in partnership with Dianne’s husband Ian Hindle and the trust.
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Khatra is a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM) who has built her career upon caring and advocating for others. She was flown to Somalia at just 10 years old, for what was thought to be a family holiday, but was subjected to a brutal and harrowing FGM.
Khatra was chosen from a shortlist of ten worthy recipients.
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Ian Hindle, Dianne Oxberry’s husband and founder and trustee of the Dianne Oxberry Trust charity, said: “We were blown away by the incredible people that were put forward for this special award and it was a really difficult decision to choose a winner.
“The amazing thing about Manchester is the sense of community and the huge number of people who do amazing things for others every day, often in the face of extreme challenges.
The Manc Team at the This is Manchester Awards 2023The Thomas Brothers at the This is Manchester Awards 2023The Vain Photos – Carl Sukonik
“Being able to present this award to celebrate that true Mancunian spirit is a real honour, and a wonderful legacy to Dianne too. She’d be so moved by their stories and inspired too.”
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The awards recognise rising stars and those that have contributed to the development of the Greater Manchester community.
Hundreds of businesses and individuals submitted detailed nominations across 16 highly contested categories for the This is Manchester Awards 2023, with winners representing the night-time economy, entertainment, arts and culture, technology, live events, charity and fashion.
The Supernova Award went to Julia Fawcett, Chief Executive of the Lowry, recognised for her 20+ years dedication to making The Lowry one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Northwest of England, which has now engaged more than 340,000 children and young people in creative programmes and activities.
Credit: The Vain Photos – Carl Sukonik
Other notable wins for charities and good causes went to Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity DJ Battle, which saw Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram going head-to-head on the decks, which won Best Live Event.
Jeremy Roberts was also awarded Individual Making a Difference in the Community in acknowledgement for setting up The Tim Bacon Foundation, raising over £1.5 million for several regional and national cancer charities.
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Monies raised on the night were donated to the HideOut Youth Zone Manchester and the event was supported by headline sponsors The Kamani Club.
The full list of winners at the This is Manchester Awards 2023
Leading Restaurant of the Year (Formal) – El Gato Negro
Leading Restaurant of the Year (Casual) – Colleens
Leading Restaurant of the Year (Casual) – Holcombe Tap
Leading Chef of the Year – Simon Shaw
Leading Bar / Club of the Year – Albert Schloss, Manchester
Leading Hotel of the Year – Kimpton Clocktower
Leading Newcomer of the Year – The Padel Club
Leading Live Event of the Year – Greater Manchester Mayors Charity DJ Battle
Leading Live Event Venue of the Year – Albert Hall
Leading Arts & Culture Venue of the Year – Octagon Theatre Bolton
Force for fashion – Cress Marketplace
Leading tech / Digital Innovator of the Year – Versori
Organisations / Individuals promoting Health & Wellbeing – Foundation 92
Individuals Making a Difference in the Community – Jeremy Roberts, Tim Bacon Foundation
Organisations Making a Difference in the Community – Lancashire Cricket Foundation
Diane Oxberry Special impact Award – Khatra Paterson
Manchester Supernova Award – Julia Fawcett
Featured image: The Vain Photos – Carl Sukonik
Manchester
Beloved plant-based independent street food business Herbivorous is set to close imminently
Danny Jones
We hate writing this, but we have news of yet another local hospitality closure as beloved Manchester-born and pioneering plant-based brand Herbivorous has confirmed they’ll soon be calling it a day.
If you can hear us sighing through the screen, apologies – we’re just getting really fed up of saying farewell to our favourites, so god knows how rubbish those involved feel.
As you can see, the team behind the multi-location vegan street food specialists began by writing: “It’s a long one so stay with me… It seems you can’t open social media at the moment without reading about another hospitality business closing down.
“Throughout 8 years of Herbivorous years we’ve come up against many challenges from Covid 5 years ago to watching all the big vegan brands from London and beyond come to Manchester and largely disappear again to the closure of Hatch our busiest site, but with continually increasing costs its becoming really difficult to maintain a thriving business.”
Herbivorous started out life back in 2016 as a cult hit at the old outdoor food, drink and entertainment hub centring around a ‘container village’, the first of its kind in the city and soon to reopen under new owners and a new name.
Since then, co-founders Robyn and Damian have gone on to expand not just to one permanent site over in Withington but with outposts in Sheffield and York, having gained a strong reputation with stalls and pop-ups all over.
Their hospitality story might not have the ending we personally would hope for, but it’s been a brilliant one for so many foodie fans – us lot included.
Nevertheless, they go on to add in the emotional statement that external pressures such as a recent bereavement and their own ever-growing family have also contributed to the decision which, despite being an understandably hard one, “feel like the right time.”
“We are so incredibly proud of how far we’ve come from spending long days slinging duck wraps from our green vintage horse box at festivals to three Herbi locations across the North of England”, they continue, “and with that we’ve also met so many fantastic people!”
“Whether you worked for us at a few festivals over [the] summer or for years at our restaurant, we just wanted to say and massive thank you! The memories will stay with us forever and, of course, how can we not mention our fabulous customers!
“Thank you all so much for choosing Herbivorous over the years. Those of you who had our food at Festivals and then found us at one of our permanent locations, those of you who came back week after week to Hatch, Spark, Withington and beyond.”
They signed off by detailing their final business days, with their Sheffield Kommune spot having already shut for refurbishment; meanwhile, their spot in SPARK York will be wrapping up on Saturday, 19 April.
As for their flagship brick-and-mortar venue here in Greater Manchester, Herbivorous Withington will be shutting on Friday, 25 April.
Once again, there’s nothing we can say other than thank you for years of delicious food, that we’re guttted to see you go, and that everyone at The Manc Group wishes you the best whatever comes next.
AJ Tracey is playing a VERY intimate gig in Manchester next month
Thomas Melia
London rapper and respected grime artist AJ Tracey is ‘live and direct’ once again, announcing a whole host of UK dates, one of which is a rather intimate gig right here in Manchester.
It’s official: one of UK rap’s leading gents is getting back on the road and he’s showing a ‘Little More Love’ to lots of cities, including Manchester.
In a post on the UK star’s socials, AJ Tracey trades his music persona for that of a sports pundit as he announces the dates for his upcoming tour while impersonating an F1 commentator.
Anyone looking to attend Tracey’s ‘Not Even A Tour’ can catch the star up and down the country on his over 20-date tour with a stop in Manchester as soon as this month.
The rapper has reached phenomenal heights since dropping the unforgettable ‘Ladbroke Grove’ in 2019 and is heading out across the nation to make sure everyone knows about it.
Get ready to spit bars left and right as this rapper’s discography is stacked with serious tunes like ‘Dinner Guest’, ‘West Ten’, ‘Thiago Silva’ and more.
More recently, he collaborated with Walsall’s finest Jorja Smith for a flirty garage beat also known as ‘Crush’ with the video being the two artists talking it out in a good old fashioned caff.
The latest collaboration with Smith marks the start of a new era for Mr. Live and direct as it fell in line with the announcement of his third studio album.
Titled Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, we’re sure he’ll be “building a vibe” wherever he goes and probably previewing a few exclusive tracks from his upcoming project too.
This gig may come as quite a surprise for any hardcore fans of the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star as the venue in which he’s performing is definitely intimate only, holding just over 250 guests.
This rap giant is bringing his unbelievable beats to none other than the legendary small-cap city centre live music venue, The Deaf Institute, at the end of this month.
It’s safe to say you won’t get many more chances, if any, to see him in such a tight-knit space again.
AJ Tracey is bringing ‘Not Even A Tour’ to Deaf Institute in Manchester on 30 April, with tickets on sale Friday 4 April from 12 noon.
Daisy Jackson -
10th November 2023 
