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.
Pep Guardiola delivers important reminder about multiculturalism after Jim Ratcliffe controversy
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has delivered an important message about the power of multiculturalism in his most recent press conference.
Guardiola’s comments come after the high-profile controversy surrounding his rival club across the city, Man United, whose co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, saw some of his recent remarks fall under major scrutiny.
In case you somehow missed it, the Failsworth-born British billionaire was heavily criticised after claiming he believes the UK has been “colonised by immigrants”.
Fast forward a couple of days, and while the club and the fan base are still dealing with the fallout of the story, Pep acknowledged the debate by reminding people that “embracing other cultures” makes for a “better society”.
Well put, Pep – in fact, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Although he didn’t reference the 74-year-old directly after being probed on the subject by journalists, the Man City boss reiterated that his time spent living and working across the world has only broadened his mind and enriched his life.
That goes for both his professional and personal spheres, by the way, as the Catalan coach has often spoken of his love for English culture and the Manc people, specifically.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup game against local side Salford City, Pep described the attitudes towards immigrants around the world as a “big problem” despite most people simply leaving their country in search of “a better life”.
He also drew attention to the fact that he, like so many others in football – a sporting industry loved the world round by people from all walks of life and that the likes of Ratcliffe directly benefit from – is an immigrant working and contributing to not just the game but the British economy by being here.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have since shared a public statement on their club website and across social media, reiterating to fans and supporters the world over that they are an “inclusive club”.
‘We will continue to represent our people, our city and our fans with purpose and pride.’
The INEOS chairman, CEO and minority stakeholder in Manchester United Football Club, has since apologised (at least in part) for his “choice of language” following the divisive interview with Sky News.
In a world where plenty of people are quick to pessimism, negativity and turn to division almost by default, Pep’s message is one echoed by so many and is one that we should all keep in mind.
And for anyone who needs a more light-hearted bit of content on their timeline this week, here’s what else Pep said in his pre-match presser…
Pep Guardiola responding to a really intelligent question from a reporter:
‘Do you want to be my assistant coach, fucking hell, you are brilliant…’
Featured Images — Hayters TV (screenshot via YouTube)
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Chester Zoo becomes first UK zoo to gain important international status
Danny Jones
The North West’s beloved Chester Zoo has been awarded a highly coveted global status, being named as the first international botanical garden in the entire UK.
With so many well-deserved awards, accolades and plaudits from within the world of wildlife preservation over the year, it’s no surprise.
A gem in Cheshire and the wider region’s crown, which continues to express its extreme commitment to ecological and environmental causes year in and year out, Chester Zoo is regularly ranked the best in the country and one of the top facilities in all of Europe, and now its worldwide reputation is growing too.
Taking its already sterling CV one further this year, 2026 marks the inaugural year of not only Chester Zoo existing as a recognised international botanical garden, but a big moment for Great Britain’s conservation status in general, as it’s been over 150 years since it last held the status.
Writing on social media in response to the huge honour, they wrote: “We’re officially the FIRST UK zoo recognised as a globally important botanic garden!
“We care for hundreds of rare plants, protect species at risk of extinction, and create beautiful gardens that encourage visitors to slow down and connect with nature.
“Global plant conservation organisation [Botanic Gardens Conservation International] assessed us against 22 criteria before awarding us Conservation Practitioner status – a recognition that now lets us do even more to protect native wildlife alongside our incredible conservation partners!”
Incredible stuff.
They signed off by adding that their efforts are “all made possible by YOU”, with 2025 marking an all-around groundbreaking year for the venue, as a total of 2,136,224 visitors came through the gates to surpass their previous record tally back in 2019 (2,086,785).
BGCI’s awarding of Conservation Practitioner is yet more proof of just how much work Chester Zoo does throughout the annual calendar, not least of all the incredible fundraising they do via various activations like their hugely successful charity run.
They signed off by adding that their efforts are “all made possible by YOU”, with 2025 marking an all-around groundbreaking year for the venue, as a total of 2,136,224 individuals came through the gates to surpass their previous record tally back in 2019 (2,086,785).
Speaking directly on the watershed moment, the zoo’s head of plants, Philip Esseen, said in an official press release: “This recognition shows that our plant work has real conservation value.
“We’re caring for species that are threatened with extinction in the wild, and that carries a responsibility to protect them, propagate them and share our expertise with others.
“The accreditation will help us work more closely with other horticultural and conservation organisations and increase the amount of conservation work we can do, particularly to support native species.”
Congratulations once again to Chester Zoo on such a significant achievement, and with around 10k people visiting each day – be that staff, field-expert guests or visitors – the proof is in the pudding: it really is the best in Britain doing some of the most vital work possible.
The UK has lost half of it's hedgehogs in the last 20 years, so here's 3 simple things you can do to make your garden a hedgehog haven 👇
🏡 Create a cosy hideout – piles of leaves, logs, or a hedgehog house give them a safe spot to rest Make a hedgehog highway – leave a…
Danny Jones -
5th March 2025 
