October's Award!

Throughout the year, our Trustees award grants from our two core funds. The 'Stronger Communities Fund' (SCF), where we provide funding to groups making positive differences in their communities, and the 'Manchester's Rising Stars Fund' (MRSF) where we award grants supporting ambitious young Mancunians from disadvantage in their next steps to success. 

We have awarded 6 SCF awards and four MRSF grants October 2025 which came to a total of £28,449. Here is the full list of the fantastic local community groups and ambitious young Mancs we supported, and we look forward to sharing further details about them with you as their projects develop. 

Stronger Communities Fund Awards: 

Conversation Over Borders envisions a UK where refugees and asylum seekers are welcomed, have equal rights and opportunities, and are connected to the wider communities around them. Their work is shaped by those with lived experience, and they prioritise by-and-for support models across their programmes.  They run English classes, wellbeing support, one to one support, digital inclusion sessions and specialised LGBTQIA support for asylum seekers.  

Conversations over borders have been awarded £3920 to deliver their Coffee & Connection sessions - sessions are specifically for women and non-binary refugees and people seeking asylum based in Manchester.  These sessions aim to combat social isolation and feelings of loneliness by offering a consistent, supportive space where refugees and people seeking asylum can form meaningful social bonds in the City of Manchester.  

‘Thank you so much to everyone at We Love MCR Charity for the generous support of our support group for women and non-binary refugees!  To people who have newly arrived in the city, without friends and family here, the opportunity to connect and learn from each other in a safe environment is a real lifeline. This grant will allow us to offer connection, friendship and help navigating life in the UK for some of the most isolated women in our community. Thank you from us all at Conversation Over Borders.’ 

Grounded Manchester CIC is a small community café rooted in Cringle Park, Levenshulme running from a converted shipping container. They believe everyone deserves spaces where they feel welcome, valued, and connected, no matter their background or circumstances. Their work revolves around food, creativity, and connection, serving low-cost meals using surplus food from FareShare, reducing waste while making healthy food accessible for those on low incomes.  

They have been awarded £3900 to deliver a weekly creative group in Cringle Park, helping people connect with each other and with nature, while gently tackling loneliness.  Each session will bring together around 10-12 people for simple, hands-on activities inspired by the natural world including walks around the park, eco-printing and crafts from foraged materials. 

‘We’re absolutely delighted to receive this award — it means a great deal to everyone at Grounded Manchester CIC and the community we serve. Branching Out will give local people a chance to connect through creativity and nature during the colder months, when loneliness often hits hardest. Thanks to this funding, we can run weekly outdoor art sessions in Cringle Park, led by local artists, that help people feel calmer, more confident, and more connected to each other and their surroundings. 

This support from the We Love Manchester Charity makes a real difference for a small organisation like ours. It means we can keep sessions free, pay artists fairly, and offer materials and refreshments so everyone feels welcome. Most importantly, it helps us continue creating a space where people who often feel left out — older residents, carers, and those managing health challenges — can find friendship, purpose, and joy close to home’   

Intergenerational England champions intergenerational practice, working across health, housing, education, and community systems to build more connected, inclusive societies. As Secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Tackling Loneliness and Connected Communities, they shape national policy while embedding place-based solutions that support real people in real communities.  They work with a wider partnership in Manchester including local community groups, Manchester Central Library, Castlefield Gallery, MSV Housing, NHs Social Prescribers, care providers, and health services.  

Intergenerational England have been awarded £4000 to launch an 'Access All Ages' Hub at Bridgewater Hall – a vibrant intergenerational space designed to bring people together through creativity, conversation, and connection. The Hub will run 12 monthly workshops as part of a programme of sessions each centred around themes of music, art, poetry, movement, community mapping, storytelling, and intergenerational dialogue. 

‘Thank you for supporting Access All Ages. This award will allow us to create a joyful and inclusive space where people from across Greater Manchester - of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life - can come together to connect, share stories, and feel less alone. Your support doesn’t just fund sessions; it helps build confidence, belonging and resilience, giving people the chance to form meaningful intergenerational relationships that strengthen our community!’  

Family volunteering club Manchester Family volunteering club (FVC) create and runs child-friendly volunteering sessions supporting a range of causes, enabling children aged 0 - 9 to participate positively in their community, building their confidence, sense of belonging and skills. It aims to introduces them in an age-appropriate way to societal issues, and also to the idea of volunteering from a young age and/or encouraging parents to consider volunteering.  

FVC have been awarded £3500 to deliver twice monthly sessions for pre-school children and their parents in Longsight.  These sessions will focus on age-appropriate activities such as gardening, cooking, craft, and life skills, whilst helping local causes such as food banks, baby clothes banks and gardening projects.  

‘We are so excited to be receiving this grant, which will enable our Family Volunteering Club programme in Longsight to continue in 2026. Our sessions enable young children to come together with their grown ups, and do good in their community through fun and meaningful volunteering activities. For example creating food parcels for the food bank, making friendship bracelets to give to other local children, making cards to give to older adults who are feeling lonely and doing gardening to help our local nature to thrive! All our sessions are free to attend, to make it open to everyone. We can't wait to get started!’ 

Manchester People First is a self-advocacy group run by and for adults with learning disabilities in Manchester.  The aim for learning disabled people to have control over their lives, make their own choices and be confident self-advocates.  They run workshops, training sessions, events and drop-ins. They make information easier to read and understand and work with organisations and services such as the NHS, Universities, Police and other voluntary groups to help them understand what is important to people with a learning disability.   

MPF have been awarded £3240 to deliver a monthly Pampering Session for Learning Disabled ladies of Manchester.  Sessions will include skin, hair and nail care whilst offering a safe and private female only space so ladies can come together to chat and support each other, to talk about what things matter to them and offer each other support on a peer to peer basis. 

‘Thank you to ALL at We LOVE Manchester for this funding for 2026. It will mean we can hold a much needed monthly women's only pampering session, where our learning disabled ladies can come together, support each other and have fun’  

Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund awards 

Precious, 22, from Clayton and Openshaw is a young person with ambitions further her career as a content creator. She has been awarded £1720 towards equipment including a camera to produce high quality content. 

‘I’m beyond grateful to receive the Manchester Rising Stars Fund. This support will help me take my creativity and career to the next level — thank you for believing in me!’ 

Maram, 20, from Moss side wants to expand her girls and women only walking group.  She has been awarded £600 to buy a camera to capture content to promote the group 

‘Thank you so much for the camera! It means a lot to me and to SheRoams, our girls’ hiking group in Manchester. Your support will help us capture our hikes and inspire more women to explore the outdoors confidently. Thank you again for believing in what we’re doing!’ 

Edwina, 18, from Levenshulme is a photographer.  She has been awarded £1153 towards updated equipment to grow her photography business! 

‘Thank you so much for this opportunity!  This grant will allow me to expand my photography practice, take on more ambitious projects, and develop my vision as an artist making a meaningful impact through visual storytelling’ 

Joody, 24 from Chorlton, is training to be a teacher and applied for items to support her studies and placement like a laptop and textbooks. 

‘Thank you so much for this grant and for supporting me on my journey.  Your help will make a real difference in allowing me to complete my teacher training and move into a career where I can support young people every day!’