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
Coronation Street and Emmerdale set for special crossover episode
Danny Jones
Two of Britain’s most legendary TV shows are set to collide as Coronation Street and Emmerdale prepare for an unforgettable crossover.
It’s the sort of thing we’ve imagined plenty of times before, but if we’re being honest, we never actually thought it would come to fruition.
For the first time ever, the iconic Northern soaps will be teaming up to release a special crossover episode early next year.
‘Coronationdale’? ‘Emmerdale Street’? All we know is we’re excited.
Announced on Tuesday, 13 May, ITV confirmed that work on the first-ever Coronation Street and Emmerdale collaboration is now underway.
The flagship serial franchises both have huge nationwide followings in their own right, attracting more than 8 million viewers every week.
Moreover, with both Manc’s much-loved Corrie and its Yorkshire counterpart having faced financial struggles in recent months, this announcement couldn’t have come at a better time.
Writing in an official joint press release, the two shows revealed they will “join forces in an unprecedented, one-off special episode to launch the broadcaster’s new power hour of soap, which begins on ITV1 and STV in January 2026.”
The ‘power hour’ is part of the channel’s plans to readjust its approach to its regular programming laid out earlier this year, with this serving as an eye-catching way to promote the new schedule.
Put it this way, provided they keep the crossovers up North and avoid you know where, this is the kind of thing we can get behind…
Corrie characters reacting to the mere thought of heading to London 🤝 Manc parents whenever one of their kids mentions leaving 0161. 😂
The statement goes on to read: “The distinctive worlds of Emmerdale and Coronation Street will merge for one night only in a ‘mash-up’ of our two favourite communities.”
ITV believe they have come up with an “ingenious way of linking the two universes” before having them return to Greater Manchester and the Dales, respectively.
The episode will be a self-contained one-off special, but one that sees them canonically grounded in the same entertainment world forever and, you never know, if the idea is a hit then it could be the first of many to come.
As if that wasn’t enough, to make the prospect even more interesting, the producers are inviting members of the audience to choose which two characters they would like to meet and interact with in the scene – keep your eyes peeled on their social media for more information.
Coming in January 2026 (specific release date yet to be confirmed), this is not one you want to miss.
We’re also glad to see the pair of long-standing soaps and institutions of British telly have got off to a strong start this year, raking in 124 million streams on ITVX with each episode now available on the streaming platform ahead of each night’s episode.
You can expect a big viewer spike when this one goes out, that’s for sure.
Pilates classes with eight-week old puppies are launching in Manchester next month
Emily Sergeant
Pilates is already one of the most popular workouts of the moment, but we have a feeling this might make its popularity skyrocket.
Why? Because it’s pilates with puppies, that’s why.
Although it may sound a little too good – and too unbelievably flipping cute – to be true, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, as Manchester‘s very-own Paw Yoga is launching a handful of Puppy Pilates sessions next month, and this is your chance to stretch, strengthen… and snuggle with Spaniels.
Puppy Pilates sessions are exactly as they sound, blending gentle Pilates or Yogalates exercises with the joy of being surrounded by playful Cocker Spaniel puppies.
It’s a unique experience designed to promote relaxation and, of course, plenty of puppy cuddles.
Each session starts off with 15 minutes of puppy introductions, followed by a half-hour instructor-led Pilates or Yogalates class, and finished with another 15 minutes of cuddles and photos with the pups.
Paw Yoga – which is better-known for its puppy yoga sessions, and is celebrating its third anniversary next month – ensures the wellbeing of its puppies is the utmost priority, with all attending puppies being over eight-weeks old and vaccinated, and the company refraining from mixing litters from different households.
The company also exclusively collaborates with ‘trusted and ethical breeders’, so you can attend the classes knowing the puppies come from nurturing homes.
Pilates classes with eight-week old puppies are launching in Manchester next month / Credit: Supplied
Each class lasts one hour, and at the end of every event, the puppies go home with their owners.
Throughout the sessions, puppies are provided with food, water, and their own comfortable resting space if they choose to have a nap rather than join in.
There’s Puppy Pilates class on 14 June and a Puppy Yogalates class on 15 June that you can book onto, with other dates expected to be announced in due course, so whether you’re a pilates pro or simply seeking a calming escape, these sessions offer the perfect blend of fitness and puppy cuddles.
Daisy Jackson -
10th November 2023 
