The City of Champions Charity Gala Dinner returns this year where Manchester’s most inspirational sports stars and businesspeople will be recognised and celebrated at the Lowry Hotel, Salford, on 31st October.
Organised by Olympian and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, Diane Modahl MBE, The Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (DMSF), Manchester City Council, and hosted with GM Mayor Andy Burnham, the annual gala dinner will see Manchester’s shining stars acknowledged for their monumental contributions to sport, education and business.
The dinner will be a unique opportunity to support disadvantaged young people across Greater Manchester as the DMSF continues to provide access to mentoring, skill development, qualifications, and countless opportunities.
Recognised for their ability to give back to the next generation of champions, the inductees for 2022 include British Paralympic athlete, Dame Sarah Storey OBE; co-founder of Parklife and The Warehouse Project and night-time advisor to GM Mayor, Andy Burnham, Sacha Lord, and peace promoter and counter terrorism campaigner, Figen Murray OBE, who tragically lost her son, Martyn Hett, in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack.
Previous inductees have included British Athlete Dame Kelly Holmes DBE, Olympian Sir Chris Hoy MBE, and ex-footballer, broadcaster and serial entrepreneur Gary Neville.
Gary said: “To be included into the City of Champions Hall of Fame is really a great honour. I didn’t receive many individual honours during my sporting career, but I was part of a fantastic team.”
“There are so many people in this city doing great things. To think that I am now sitting alongside them on the same level and going into the Hall of Fame is something that I’m really proud of.”
This year’s event will be held at The Lowry Hotel with entertainment from The Manchester Survivors’ Choir made up from people who were injured in the arena attack. Awards will be presented by GM Mayor Andy Burnham and DMSF founder Diane Modahl MBE.
Diane Modahl MBE, CEO and co-Founder of the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation, said: “It is a real privilege for the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation to once again host the City of Champions event in this great city. The inductees honoured this year are inspirational to people of all ages, not because of their name or title, it’s their dedication and commitment to make a positive difference to people’s lives and provide tangible opportunities for people and communities to be their very best”.
Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor, said: “This city is full of inspirational people doing incredible work that is truly worthy of recognition. I’d like to personally congratulate Dame Sarah Storey DBE, Sacha Lord and Figen Murray OBE for their commitment and dedication to Manchester and its communities, making them worthy recipients of City of Champions awards.”
For more information visit www.dmsf.org.uk. Tickets for the event are £225 or a table of 10 can be purchased from £2,000. These can be booked by emailing johanna@dmsf.co.uk.
Image: Sacha Lord
