A handful of famous faces and inspirational figures were honoured at the first-ever Gaydio Pride Awards in Manchester last Friday.
Greater Manchester‘s thriving LGBTQ+ scene shone brighter than ever before as the inaugural Gaydio Pride Awards were held in our city last Friday night to celebrate the extraordinary efforts to bring Pride to every corner of the UK.
The annual awards ceremony are all about honouring the LGBTQ+ community members and allies making the biggest impacts nationwide.
Awards were handed out at the glamorous ceremony held at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel, which was hosted by hosted by Gaydio’s breakfast show presenters Paris and Dave, while performances came from chart-topping artist Raye, a set from dance-legend Sigala, and a show-stopping performance from Danny Beard, the winner of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK Season 4.
When it comes to the winners, so many inspirational names and organisations were honoured and quite-rightly celebrated on the night.
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The first-ever Gaydio Pride Awards took place on Friday 10 February in Manchester / Credit: Supplied
Trans Pride Brighton took home the Grassroots Pride of The Year award as the longest-running and first-ever Trans Pride event, and there was a joint award for Major Pride of the Year with Manchester Pride, Birmingham Pride, Brighton + Hove Pride, and Pride in London – with all four major prides coming together to condemn the world cup in Qatar and the human rights abuse against LGBTQ+ people.
Joel Mordi, who is organiser of the first pride event in Nigeria, was the winner of the Volunteer of the Year award having volunteered with a myriad of nonprofits including UK Black Pride, Crisis UK, and National Student Pride.
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Famous faces and inspirational figures were honoured at the ceremony / Credit: Supplied
Trans Radio UK Football Club were honoured with the LGBTQ+ Club or Sports Team of the Year award for providing a space for trans people to play football in a safe way, without having to be subjected to questioning, harassment and doubt, while Great British Bake Off finalist, Janusz Domagala, was awarded LGBTQ+ Champion award for using his platform to support and promote LGBTQ+ in his bakes and his attire, as well as being the first to use the word transgender on the show.
Filthy Gorgeous, the weekly student night held at The Brewers in Manchester, picked up the award for Venue or Event of the Year as the favourite hit night where people in the LGBTQ+ community can come together safely and dance the night away.
Chart topper Raye, and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard were two of the night’s performers / Credit: Supplied
Charity of the Year was awarded to George House Trust to recognise all the work the organisation been doing around HIV and fighting the stigma by providing support, advice, and advocacy services to improve health outcomes for those affected since 1985.
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Revered screenwriter, Russell T Davies, is one of the charity’s ambassadors, and he was proud to attend the ceremony last Friday.
One of the famous names honoured on the night was up-and-coming black lesbian musician, Cat Burns, who has had great success with back-to-back hits ‘Go’ and ‘People Pleaser’, and took home the award for Music Artist of the Year.
Last but not least, the Lifetime Contribution award went to Peter Tatchell – a human rights campaigner who was arrested in Qatar for promoting the dangers for LGBTQ+ people throughout the 2022 World Cup.
Sigala also provided a DJ set on the night / Credit: Supplied
“The inaugural Gaydio Pride Awards took place to recognise the fantastic achievements of our community and LGBTQ+ people across the UK,” Gaydio’s Director, Ian Wallace, commented after the ceremony happened to huge success.
“It’s important to offer an event, open to the public, that is able to showcase everything from the smallest of Pride festivals, to trailblazing queer music artists.
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“Bring on 2024.”
Featured Image – Supplied
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Girl, 14, charged with attempted murder after stabbing at Manchester high school
Emily Sergeant
A 14-year-old girl has been charged with three counts of attempted murder following a stabbing at a high school in Manchester earlier this week.
In case you need bringing up to speed, officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called to reports of a stabbing at a school on Plant Hill Road in Blackley – confirmed to be Co-op Academy Manchester – on Tuesday morning (9 June 2026), and when they arrived on the scene, they discovered that two students and a teacher had been injured.
A 14-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault, before being taken into custody for questioning.
It was confirmed yesterday by GMP that the girl had been detained under the Mental Health Act, but now, following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), she was charged yesterday evening (11 June) with three counts of attempted murder and two counts of possessing a bladed article on school premises.
The three people injured during the shocking incident earlier this week have now all been released from hospital after being assessed.
Due to circumstances surrounding the incident, the investigation was passed to Counter Terrorism Policing North West, although at this time, it has not been declared as a terrorist incident.
The girl is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court today (Friday 12 June).
Speaking following the charges, Detective Chief Superintendent Jonathan Chadwick, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “These are extremely serious charges against a young girl and, working closely with Greater Manchester Police, we continue to support the victims and their families and offer support to the wider school community, who have been deeply affected by what happened.
“Although charges have now been secured, our investigation is still ongoing, and we continue to work with local policing colleagues in the Blackley area.”
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The simple hack that can save healthcare workers and teachers money on their holidays
Danny Jones
With cost-of-living pressure ever-present in the background of most everyday lives, finding some spare pennies for a getaway feels more difficult than ever, and if there’s anyone who deserves discounts on a holiday, it’s healthcare workers.
That’s why, when we became aware of the simple hack that can save those working in healthcare services money on holidays, we thought we’d help spread the word.
We’re sure lots of you working within the sector already know plenty about this booking strategy, but for anyone who doesn’t, how do you fancy saving up to half a grand on your next jolly?
In fact, even those working in education can cut their costs, too.
With searches for ‘holiday voucher code’ up by 73% on Google, and even the likes of TikTok seeing ‘money saving tips’ up by 45%, travel agency TUI have decided to team up with the Health Service Discounts platform for 2026.
Providing those who work for the NHS with a ‘Holidays for Heroes’ (HfH) access code on various popular peak-season trips, this exclusive discount can be added on top of all other seasonal TUI deals, including the company’s ‘First Choice’ package holidays.
With the HfH code alone guaranteeing workers an extra £100 off their bookings, play your cards right, and you could get up to £500 in total discounts overall.
How to access the healthcare ‘Holidays for Heroes’ deal
Separate from standard Blue Light card savings, here’s how it works, and don’t worry, it’s all very simple:
As mentioned, education workers can also benefit from similar money off, with an extra £50 per person through the TUI x Discounts for Teachers partnership, as well.
Ella Foden-Lynch, Partnerships Manager for TUI, said in a statement: “Getting away is absolutely vital for wellbeing, especially for those working in high-stress healthcare and education roles.
“With the cost-of-living crisis still putting a strain on household budgets, we know how hard it is to stretch your pay to cover a much-needed family break. By unlocking these exclusive TUI deals, we hope to give our key workers the realistic recovery time they deserve without the financial worry.”
So, for those of you healthcare heroes and teachers looking for a well-deserved break, we urge you to find an affordable holiday that suits you very soon. With cheaper airport pints also inbound later this year, here’s hoping you save even more spends for when you’re away.
Emily Sergeant -
13th February 2023 
