UK News

A new awards ceremony will champion ‘gamechangers’ in the north of England

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 15th June 2022

A new awards ceremony is being launched to celebrate people across the north making a difference in their local community.

Called Northern Gamechangers, it has been designed to celebrate business leaders creating positive changes in their fields.

Set to debut this autumn, it will honour regional leaders from the north of England - and organisers are now on the hunt for nominations.

The brainchild of Manchester-based business consultancy Elevate, the awards ceremony has been designed to champion purpose-driven businesses – after noticing the little recognition available for those making a real difference in similar programmes, reports The Manc.

However, in a twist that sets the awards apart from most, there will not be any formal nomination categories. Rather, nominated ‘Gamechangers’ are able to excel in a number of areas – including sustainability, decarbonisation, social mobility, diversity and inclusion, and charitable partnerships.

It will take place with a cool and contemporary awards ceremony held in Manchester on 14 September 2022, with nominations open to organisations, businesses and individuals until 17 June.

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Forgoing the traditional glitzy ceremony, the awards will do away with the white tablecloths and stuffy dress codes of old in favour of something altogether more relaxed and fun – as well as a much more accessible ticket price.

Speaking on the new awards, Katie Robson, Co-Founder and Director, said: “We are constantly inspired by people that prove that businesses can, and should, be a force for good – we’ve launched Northern Gamechangers to celebrate these individual and organisations and spread the word to others.”

Confirmed judges include Anna Gledson, Managing Director at The Manc; Sharon
Amesu, Founder of SA Consulting, and North-West Business Leadership Team; Amer
Gaffar, Director of Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre and Tim Heatley, Co-Founder of Capital&Centric.

Sponsors of the programme include a leading independent PR agency, The PHA Group,
which last year launched its Manchester base and has since added a Leeds office to the roster; Manchester Central, the city’s thriving exhibition and conference centre; and
Appleyard Lees, Intellectual Property specialists.

Nominations are now open for the Northern Gamechangers, which will take place on 14 September at an as-yet-undisclosed venue in Manchester.

Speaking further on the Northern Gamechanger awards, Katie added: “We’ve been immersed in Manchester’s thriving business community for some time now, and what really makes the region stand out is just how many people are willing to step outside the box with new ideas and game changing attitudes.

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“Through Northern Gamechangers, we want to make noise about Manchester’s
pioneering spirit and those using their influence for good. We can’t wait to see the
nominations – we already know there are a lot of Gamechangers in the region.”

Speaking on the upcoming awards, Anna Gledson, Managing Director at The Manc and Northern Gamechangers judge, added: “Here at The Manc Group, we’re big champions of the north and it’s a real honour to be involved with Northern Gamechangers’ inaugural year.

“We know that there are so many wonderful business leaders in the north of England doing brilliant things, and this new awards ceremony is such a great opportunity to shine a light on those who are going the extra mile in their communities – be it through charitable partnerships, sustainability, diversity and/or inclusion.

“We’re delighted to be supporting the initiative with our regional publications and I can’t wait to see who gets involved.”

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A shortlist of 50 nominees will be announced for Northern Gamechangers in July, followed by the final 10 award winners who will be revealed at the event on Wednesday 14 September.

Further information and nominations for the Northern Gamechangers can be found here.

Feature image – Geograph

UK News

Popular Channel 4 series The Dog House is looking for people from Yorkshire to adopt rescue dogs

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Could you give a rescue dog a second chance in life? Now’s your chance.

The next series of hit Channel 4 show The Dog House is currently in the works, with producers on the lookout for people willing to give rescue dogs a forever home, and people from Yorkshire are being encouraged to apply.

Since first hitting our screens back in 2019, the award-winning series – which is currently in partnership with Woodgreen Pets Charity – has captured the hearts of viewers across the UK, sharing emotional stories of rescue dogs and the people hoping to give them a forever home.

Viewers get to watch incredible journeys of rescue dogs finding their perfect match.

Image: Channel 4

But the show demonstrates that it’s not just the dogs who are being rescued, many of their new owners also find their lives transformed in the process.

“Once again, we’ll be following the expert team of dog-matchers, meeting this year’s rescue dogs, and of course, getting to the know the amazing people who are looking to offer them a lifelong home,” a casting call for The Dog House reads on the Channel 4 website.

“We’re looking for people who are considering taking the incredible step of welcoming a rescue dog into their lives and are happy to share their reasons for doing so.

“If that’s you, then we’d love to get you know you.”

Does this sound like you then? Channel 4 is keen to hear the reasons why you may be looking for a new canine companion, so anyone who fancies applying for the show is asked to fill out an application form online.

You can find out more and apply here.

Read more:

Featured Image – Channel 4

UK News

1,500 miles of roadworks lifted to help ease traffic this bank holiday weekend

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

1,500 miles of roadworks have now been lifted across the UK.

With half term well underway already, and now millions of drivers set to hit the road over the next five days as Easter bank holiday weekend arrives, giving Brits two extra days off, National Highways has now confirmed that, as of today (Thursday 2 April), around 1,500 miles of roadworks have been lifted nationwide.

Roads are expected to be ‘especially’ busy tomorrow in particular (Good Friday), National Highways predicts, as this is the day people are most likely to head on a spring getaway.

So, in a bid to help ease congestion for drivers up and down the motorways, roadworks have been removed up until Bank Holiday Monday (6 April).

“By keeping 98% of routes clear, we’re supporting the wider economy where it matters most to tourism, freight, and local businesses,” National Highways said in a statement.

1,500 miles of roadworks have been lifted to help ease congestion for drivers this bank holiday weekend / Credit: pxfuel

The decision to lift the roadworks comes as a new national survey revealed a total of 71,254 breakdowns were recorded in spring (March–May) last year, compared with 56,702 in 2022.

It also showed that more than one in two (53%) UK drivers have broken down on a motorway or major A-road in their lifetime, highlighting how common the experience is for both drivers and passengers, and why it’s important to take relevant safety precautions from all sides.

29% of drivers think their breakdown could have been prevented with simple vehicle safety checks, but 17% admit to rarely or never conducting these.

National Highways echoes the statement that most of these incidents could be avoided through ‘quick and basic’ checks, and is urging drivers heading away this bank holiday weekend to familiarise themselves with how to do these before hitting the roads, so they can reach their destinations safely, saving costs and reducing delays for all road users in the process.

“Millions of people will be hitting the roads over Easter, and we want everyone to have a safe and smooth journey,” commented Colin Stevenson, who is the Road Safety Information Lead at National Highways.

“A few simple checks can help to prevent many of the breakdowns we see each year and help drivers avoid unexpected delays, cost and stress.

“Our teams work around the clock to keep motorways and major A-roads moving and these small steps from drivers can make a big difference.”

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Featured Image – Mike Birdy (via Pexels)

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