Over £15,000 was raised at the inaugural Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity’s annual charity dinner.

Businesses from across Greater Manchester did their bit to help end rough sleeping and homelessness, raising over £15,000 for the charity.

Hundreds of people from businesses spanning the city region’s private sector descended on the city’s New Century venue for the first ever charity dinner hosted by the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.

The ‘An Evening With…’ event, hosted by Matty White, saw Mayor Andy Burnham take to the stage for a Q&A, with guests enjoying food from New Century’s indie vendors, DJs and a charity raffle boosting fundraising efforts. There was a poignant moment when Invisible Manchester performed a poem by Danny, a well-known character in the city known for his heartfelt poetry, who sadly passed away in 2022. Part of Invisible Cities, the social enterprise trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city.

Patron of the charity, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:

“It was really inspiring to see so many of our business community come together on the night in support of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity. The energy in the room was clear to see, and we have raised some valuable funds that will help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, while also raising awareness of the incredible work of the charity and what the money they raise does in our city region.

What we’re doing in the city-region is working. The charity is playing a big role in reducing rough sleeping, but we need the public to continue to support us so that we can help more people and not let this cost of living crisis lead to another rise in rough sleeping.”

Tim Heatley, Chair of Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity said:

“No one person or organisation can single-handedly solve the complex challenge of homelessness in our city region – it takes proper collaboration and a wave of support. We’ve witnessed that over and over, with people giving what they can to support a good cause. We were blown away by the passion and determination from Greater Manchester’s businesses who showed up to New Century and gave A Bed Every Night another welcome boost to ensure support for those at risk of rough sleeping continues.”

Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity are grateful to their sponsors for support in delivering the event, including Artorious, Jen Harrison Construction and Deloitte, and for partners Elevate, Invisible Manchester, Gooey, GigPig and Spaces & Stories.