Humanity Hallows Issue 6 Out Now
Pick up your copy on campus or read online

By Pierangelly Del Rio Martinez

Manchester Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities hosted the 2017 Make a Difference Awards on Friday.

After four consecutive years, the ceremony continues to celebrate the achievements of and the positive impact made by students who go beyond their academic activities to offer their support, dedication and talent in a series of projects and activities across Manchester Met and the wider community.

Students, their friends, family members and Faculty staff attended the ceremony on Friday afternoon, welcomed to the Geoffrey Manton Atrium with canapes and drinks. The evening began with members of staff who had worked closely with students on a wealth of projects describing the achievements of those students who were nominated and won the awards.

Faculty Head of Education Annabel Kiernan greeted the attendees and introduced the event. She said, “We believe that your course is more than what you do in the classroom. Over the past year, we have offered a number of opportunities for our students to gain additional experience by working on curriculum based and extracurricular placements and projects that allow to enhance their confidence, skills and ultimately, employability.”

Annabel added, “The Make a Difference Awards highlights the huge amount of talent and potential in the faculty and the passion our students have for their subjects. They also aim to recognise the outstanding effort and showcase how our students have been able to apply skills such as critical thinking, creativity and communication to realise situations in order to make a difference in our communities. This is the fourth year of the Make a Difference awards and everyone involved is to be congratulated.”

Make a Difference Officer and IDEA team member Lisa Bach, went on to say that the Make a Difference Awards celebrates success across a number of faculty-led projects and initiatives as well as curriculum based placements. She said, “This year we are pleased to include and recognise achievements from students representing many subject areas across the new Faculty of Arts and Humanities. More than 150 students from across the Faculty have successfully applied to become Make a Difference Ambassadors. They have been working tirelessly on projects including schools outreach, community outreach and the Manchester Children’s Book Festival and have successfully completed their placements.”

She added, “Over 250 students joined our Student Media Team to work on Humanity Hallows and a wealth of other media projects.”

The awards also recognised the work of volunteers, students who undertook placements with the university and external partners as well organisations that have worked in conjunction with Manchester Met to offer support to students by granting them placements and opportunities while also helping them to develop personal projects. This year, the work of  Moss Side Powerhouse Library, The People’s History Museum and Venture Arts was recognised.

The evening was an opportunity for students to feel proud of their achievements and celebrate the talent across the faculty, as well as for the university to thank participants for their hard work throughout the year.

Student Placement Of The Year: Henrienne Jones, BA (Hons) Fashion Buying and Merchandising

An award which celebrates a student who, as part of a placement, has exceeded expectations by showing enthusiasm and commitment with the organisation they work with. This year’s winner, Henrienne Jones, was described as proactive, professional and supporting during her time working with Ralph Lauren as BBA. She became a valued team member, as expressed by her co-workers who enjoyed working with her. Despite a challenging start, Henrienne kept on working exceptionally under pressure. Furthermore, she shared her experiences with fellow students about to undergo similar placements, all throughout her final year of studies; demonstrating admirable commitment.

RUNNERS UP: Sarra Akyali, Emily Baines, Omar Ben Nafa, Irum Zaira Bi, Jilly Larard,

Student Volunteer Of The Year: Charlie Manthorp, BA (Hons) Tridimensional Design

Charlie volunteered consistently during the past year, showing exceptional passionate commitment with various organisations. He worked with external agencies, participating in ongoing mentoring schemes at regional schools, promoting the development of digital designing skills and also working in conjunction with the IDEAS Foundation and MMU’s School of Art and Design. Charlie has also shown a deep sense of commitment to the homeless cause, volunteering weekly with the homeless agency Barnabus Beacon, creating play workshops that support the health and wellbeing of their participants.

RUNNERS UP: Aaron Lembo, Charlie Manthorp, Patricia Snake, Poopy Wallace, Benjamin Cassidy, Rebecca Kearns, Ellis Yellop

Community Engagement Award: Olivia Simpson, BA (Hons) Criminology

Olivia was recognised for providing a great service to Manchester’s LGBT community while working as a part of a community safety programme known as ‘Village Angels’, powered by the LGBT Foundation. She has provided assistance, first aid and directions to get into hospitals, a well as working as a suicide prevention helper and supporting seriously ill individuals. She joined the organisation during her second-year unit and still participates in their activities, traveling from Yorkshire to Manchester. She is described as enthusiastic and eager to learn.

RUNNERS UP: Beth Silverthorn Stephenson, David Jones.

‘I Made a Difference’ Award: Mia Shepherd, BA (Hons) Politics

Presented by Lisa Bach, the ‘I Made a Difference Award’ recognises a student led project which has achieved the most during the academic year, in terms of met objectives and impact. Mia was awarded for her engagement in a research project with the People’s History Museum that considers the parallels between Monumentum and Militant. She also campaigned as part of Reclaim the Night Manchester, raising awareness of sexual assault and street harassment.

RUNNERS UP: Joshua Charters, Ashley Devereux-Lewis, Alexandra Richie, Anerium Merill-Glover

Outstanding Leadership Award: Jacqueline Grima, MA Creative Writing

An award congratulating not only leadership skills but also project planning, preparation commitment and drive in seeing students projects become a reality. For the recognition, many students were considered; however, it was Jacqueline Grima who took the award, having distinguished herself by her work as the Editor-in-Chief of Humanity Hallows. Under an exceptional leadership, the magazine has successfully produced six printed editions to date and several online articles. Jacqueline has also produced high-quality articles, interviewed a number of high profile personalities and built notable contacts along the way. Jacqueline was also praised for continuously developing initiatives to benefit Manchester Met’s student media, delivering training and offering support to team members showing great enthusiasm and determination.

Student Project Community Impact Award: Lucy May Illingworth, BA (Hons) Interactive Arts

The award recognises a project that has made a positive impact on the university and wider communities. Lucy was celebrated for creating an all inclusive programme and arts event for the local community. She has worked in Guiseley promoting the arts as vital for communities. Lucy also formed Codswallop CIC this year, a group that engages 11 to 16-year-olds and facilitates access to drama, music, arts and more. Most recently, Lucy gained funding to launch more group events and bringing families and arts together in a ‘Pay what you can’ scheme; something, which has successfully engaged thousands of people.

Student Writer Of The Year: Emily Oldfield, BA (Hons) English

Presented by Humanity Hallows’ Editor-in-Chief, Jacqueline Grima, the award celebrates outstanding written contributions throughout the year. The winner, Emily Oldfield, was praised for her outstanding commitment with Humanity Hallows, having covered various events across the city. Emily’s professionalism and engagement as a commissioned writer makes her a talented journalist.

RUNNER UPS: Samuel Gosling, Charlotte Jordin, Bridget Taylor, George Haigh, Lucy Madeleine Watson, Pierangelly Del Rio.

Student Editor Of The Year: Daniel Broadley, BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing

Daniel received the award for outstanding editorial work throughout the year, having shown great enthusiasm and a great sense of leadership in his role as section editor. Daniel has worked for Humanity Hallows during the past three years and has been distinguished by his passion, determination and clear enjoyment of his duties as editor.

RUNNER UPS: Charlotte Jordin, George Haigh.

Student Photographer Of The Year: Georgina Beth Hurdsfield, BSc (Hon) Psychology

Having been introduced for the first time in the Make a Difference Awards, the Photographer of the Year award recognises the outstanding contribution of a student photographer for Humanity Hallows. Georgia Beth Hurdsfield was awarded for showing deep commitment in her photographic coverage of a range of events across the city and developing several technical skills during this time.

RUNNER UP: Georgina Beth Hurdsfield, Georgia Osborne

Outstanding Contribution to Student Media: Lucy Madeleine Watson, MA Creative Writing

This award celebrates not only distinguished media contributions but also organisation, leadership vision and enthusiasm. Winner Lucy Watson was described as a committed and skilled writer and interviewer. For three years, Lucy has produced a number of high-quality interviews for Humanity Hallows’ online and print publications. She managed to win the trust and confidence of the people she interviewed, becoming a professional and dedicated team member.

RUNNERS UP: Nima Khorramrooz, Lucy Madeleine Watson, Daniel Broadley.

Make a Difference Ambassador of the Year: Aaron Lembo, MA Creative Writing

Presented by School Liaison Officer, Claudia Conerney, the award recognises the work across Outreach events and projects made by Aaron, who since joining the ambassador team was always the first to offer his time for available opportunities. Organised, proactive and engaging, Aaron projected confidence from the first day, becoming an exceptional ambassador.

RUNNERS UP: Emily Baines, August Aldred, Aimee O’Donnell, Aime Richardson, Chelsea Smith, Ellis Yallop, Joe Fowler, Jessica Hale, Mohammed Hussain, Elizabeth Price

Make a Difference Mentor of the Year: Caitlin Bryan, BA (Hons) Sociology

Caitlin grew confident with leadership in the past few years, demonstrating that she was willing to take new challenges and help her peers. She was described as someone who is always smiling and who shows a positive attitude. Caitlin helped several ambassadors to ease into their roles and gain confidence and independence.

RUNNER UPS: Emily Baines, Aime Richardson, Mohammed Hussain, Elizabeth Price

Make a Difference Ambassador Raising Star: Muhammed Hussain, BA (Hons) English with Modern Standard Arabic

An award to mark a new ambassador who has shown potential and enthusiasm and who will become a top ambassador of the faculty. Muhammed was recognised for being “quite a splash” despite being relatively new to the scheme, demonstrating leadership, and good organisation skills. Muhammed is also always willing to help pupils; they describe him as someone inspiring and kind.

RUNNER UPS: Aaron Lembo, Caitlin Bryan, Aimee O’Donell, Elizabeth Price

Humanities in Public Ambassador of the Year: Lucy Simpson, MA (English)

Presented by Humanities in Public coordinator, Helen Darby, the award recognised Lucy Simpson for her participation as an ambassador in the HiP events as well as customer service and work ethic. Lucy was described as highly professional and enthusiastic. Facing challenging circumstances, she was completely committed to the festival’s events. She went above and beyond what was expected of her, engaging both staff and members of the public.

Community Partnership Award: People’s History Museum

The People’s History Museum’s staff gave students a warm welcome, introducing them to archive work, answering their queries and supporting them in completing their projects. They also supported students in formulation focus questions and locating materials. The opportunities featured by the museum provided students with valuable skills and independent research valuable for their future.

RUNNER UPS: Moss Side Powerhouse Library, Venture Arts

2017 Make a Difference Awards Gallery