Flashy night of Hollywood for our young stars

Date published: 16/03/2010

Manchester will twinkle with Hollywood glitz on 20 March during the vinvolved celebration event and award ceremony. This star-themed event, held at Castlefield Hotel in Manchester, celebrates voluntary activities carried out by local young people over the past twelve months.

The red carpet will be rolled out for the 250 guests, including eighteen award nominees ranging in ages from 16 to 25, who will receive star-shaped trophies on the night. The awards are sponsored by Bolton CVS, Bury Sports Development Team, Manchester City Council and the Oldham Partnership. A number of local councillors will be in attendance to show their support.

Youth Volunteer Adviser, Mike White, comments “These young people are an absolute inspiration. This special event is our way of saying thank you for everything they have done.”

Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN), established in 2007, is a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on empowering young people by supporting them to get involved in volunteering with a wide range of organisations. GMYN receives funding from UK charity, v, as part of the national youth volunteering programme, vinvolved.

Four vinvolved teams, which help challenge the negative image of young people, are co-ordinated by GMYN, in Manchester in conjunction with Manchester Youth Volunteering Project; Bury, in partnership with Bury Youth Service; Oldham, in partnership with OCVYS; and Bolton, in partnership with Bolton Volunteer Centre. These teams have been in place since April 2008 and will have generated over 12,000 volunteering opportunities and supported more than 4,000 young people by March 2011.

David, one of the young volunteers helping to plan the celebration event, comments, “I love volunteering, it has helped me gain back some self-confidence and pride in myself.”

The award ceremony will be studded with many local stars like David. All volunteers will be looking forward to a night of entertainment, including young singer, Angela O’Reilly, plus a guest appearance by local actor Joe Gilgun who plays Eli Dingle in Emmerdale and recently appeared in the critically acclaimed film, Harry Brown. There will also be a prize draw with the top prize of a special edition Nintendo Wii, donated by The Manchester College.

Further details on how to join a vinvolved volunteer project, office locations and general information can be found on GMYN's website www.gmyn.co.uk