A lineup of local artists and creatives are coming together for this year’s Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity gala dinner to help raise money for the region’s homeless community.
Marking the third year of the event, the 2025 gala dinner isn’t just an annual occasion on the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity (GMMC) calendar but is a major fundraising event for their flagship ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, which works wonders in combatting homelessness each year.
Last year alone, more than 50 local businesses and organisations attended the affair, raising nearly £15,000 for the crucial cause at the heart of the GMMC‘s work. Incredible stuff.
2024 saw an insightful Q&A with the Mayor himself, Andy Burnham; Coronation Street‘s Julia Goulding carrying out hosting duties, as well as live DJ sets from some notable names – and they’re determined to double down for this latest edition.
As you can see, as well as Burnham returning to talk big picture stuff and reinforce how vital this work is – alongside the Charity’s CEO and lead, Dr Fran Darlington-Pollock, as ever – the lineup for this year’s gala dinner is looking extremely exciting.
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In addition to speeches from veteran broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake, who will discuss the importance of prevention work and the impact of A Bed Every Night (ABEN), local presenter Matty White will be taking over as chief host of the evening at the wonderful New Century Hall.
‘Professional doodler’ Dave Draws is creating a piece of original art live as the evening unfolds which will be entered into an auction on the night, with exclusive limited edition prints also available, and guests will also be treated to a plethora of music and DJ sets from top local talents.
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The lineup includes Manchester’s very own Anna Kathryn Lynch, a headline performance from set from Mr Scruff Bb2b with MC Kwasi, as well as Salford-based ‘The Blind Poet’, who will perform a live reading of an original poem which shares the name of Charity’s pioneering scheme.
As for the audience taking all this in, a total of 350 guests from the North West business community are set to gather for the annual gala dinner and with over £30k raised in the last two years alone, the target is big but, if we know Greater Manchester’s generous spirit like we think we do, it’s achievable.
Naturally, with donations from the likes of SJM Concerts, Engine Number 4; AO Arena, New Century themselves and many more, there will also be a raffle with an enviable range of prizes on offer for those in attendance to win whilst doing their bit for the charity.
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The Chair of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, Tim Heatley, said of the upcoming event: “Our gala dinner is about celebrating the charity’s successes and this year, we’re making the event bigger and better by uniting the best of Manchester’s businesses under one roof.
It’s an unmissable evening for networking with industry leaders and a fantastic opportunity to join the growing number of organisations that are collaborating to help end homelessness.”
Gemma Vaughan, general manager for chief sponsors AO Arena, added: “The AO Arena is and always has been a proud supporter of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity. We’ve been part of the fabric of Manchester for three decades now, and it is truly our honour to bring joy to this great City.
“Our longevity wouldn’t be possible without the support of local people, and it’s important to us that we recognise this and give back where we can. We remain dedicated to Manchester, and always will be.”
The Charity’s work is never done and they deliver various key activations throughout the year, such as The Manchester 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness which blew people away with its fundraising power once again back in November 2024.
Taking place at New Century on Thursday, 27 March, tables and sponsorship opportunities are now available for businesses across Greater Manchester, with welcome drinks for local gin bar Atlas and flowers from Victoria Rose adorning the room.
We’ll level with you, they might not be cheap but they do seat six, packages are available and it’s for a cause that’s importance cannot be overstated.
If you’re interested in the charity dinner or figuring out other ways you can help the local homeless community, you can reach out for more information by emailing [email protected], or just visit Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity’s events page HERE.
No one should ever have to sleep rough, so let’s do our very best to make it a thing of the past.
8 million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year, new research finds
Emily Sergeant
Millions of Brits are predicted to use AI to help them write their Christmas cards this year.
According to some new Royal Mail research, AI is most likely to be used for researching gifts (19%), festive party ideas (13%), and decoration inspiration (13%) throughout this festive season, but in what is a revelation many will find surprising – and even alarming – it’ll even be used for the timeless tradition of sending Christmas cards.
2,000 UK adults who celebrate Christmas were surveyed by the postal service early last month on how they plan to make use of technology this festive season.
The new research found that 11% of respondents will be using AI to help write the messages for their Christmas cards, which works out to be around eight million people.
It’s the under-55s who are driving the trend, as you can probably imagine – with 57% of this age group planning to lean on AI for guidance, compared to just 14% of those over 55.
Oh, and you’ll want to keep an extra eye on the Christmas cards that come from the men in your life too, as men are 67% more likely than women to use AI to help them.
Eight million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year / Credit: KoolShooters
Although it may be largely frowned upon, it’s fairly easy to see why people are turning to tech to find the right words, as the Royal Mail’s research found that nearly one in five (19%) Brits say they don’t know what to write in cards, and this figure rises even further to 31% when it comes to 18-24-year-olds.
Despite the use of AI as a helping hand, three quarters of Brits (74%) do still think it’s important to keep the tradition of sending handwritten Christmas cards alive.
“AI is becoming part of everyday life for many people,” says technology journalist and broadcaster, Georgie Barrat. “So it’s natural we’ll see it used during the festive season. When it comes to writing cards, it can help you go beyond a simple ‘Merry Christmas’ and choose words that feel more unique.
“Often, people know what they want to say – they just need a little help expressing it.”
Richard Travers, who is the Managing Director of Letters at Royal Mail, concluded: “No matter what you include in your card, or how you choose to write your message, cards are truly a way of spreading festive cheer.”
Featured Image – Richard Bell (via Unsplash)
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Developers share new look at Stockport’s newest indie neighbourhood at Weir Mill
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has been given another peek at the new neighbourhood and hangout spot in Stockport, Weir Mill.
Situated on the banks of the River Mersey, which runs through the heart of the old Cheshire town, Stopfordians will be more than familiar with the old building, which sits in the shadow of the Hat Works Museum tower.
The familiar North Western red brick is set to remain a noticeable structure below the recognisable Victorian Viaduct, but beneath it is set to become the home of at least new independent businesses.
Now, developers Capital and Centric have shared further glimpses at what they’re hoping the mini-district will look like when finished…
We visited the site back in 2023 not long after work begun.They have big plans to make it a suburban destination.Credit: The Manc Group/Capital and Centric
As you can see, besides the new homes and other buildings popping up in and around SK, this particular development (which will hopefully replicate the success of similar canalside regenerations such as those in Manchester city centre’s New Islington Marina) spans a whopping 65,000 sq ft.
Revolving around a new village epicentre, of sorts – simply known as Weaver Square – will see an influx of at least 10 new bars, restaurants, cafés and more indie traders spilling out of Weir Mill’s soon-to-be transformed ground floor onto what they hope will be a bustling new terrace.
Come the summer, this could be a great suntrap spot, too.
Aiming to bring these varied, open, social spaces to life with both local businesses and residents in mind, they’re promising live music, street food pop-ups, parties and al fresco eats under the iconic arches.
Pictured below, the space will not only include the aforementioned riverside terrace but a central courtyard with a lush, green, plant-laden sunken courtyard in the middle, plus plenty of other nooks teeming with character.
After being greenlit by Stockport Council, the project itself has actually been moving forward since 2022, but it now appears like it’s starting to take real shape.
Credit: Supplied
Cllr Micheala Meikle, Stockport‘s cabinet member for economy, skills and regeneration, states: “Our UK-leading town centre regeneration is about more than building new homes, it’s about creating vibrant neighbourhoods and breathing new life into Stockport’s heritage, giving our historic buildings a future.”
“While the Grade-II listed former mill is being carefully restored for residents, the new public square will create opportunities for independent businesses to thrive and for people from across the borough to come and enjoy our buzzing town centre.
“It is incredibly exciting to see how our riverside will soon be opened up into an inviting outdoor space where local communities can come together over great food, live music, and creative events from day into night.”
Better still, with Stockport’s growing transport links as part of the Bee Network only set to be extended further in the coming years, Weir Mill will be a simple train/tram ride away soon enough.
Danny Jones -
5th March 2025 
