GMBOP at the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity Annual Gala 2025

Recently, our Greater Manchester Better Outcomes Partnership (GMBOP) colleagues joined Andy Burnham and the team from the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity (GMMC) for its third annual Gala fundraising to tackle homelessness… And what a gala it was.

One in 62 young people in the UK faced homelessness in 2023-2024. That’s 118,000 young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness; a 10% increase on the previous year.

As previous recipients of grant funding from the Mayor’s Charity, GMBOP – a BOP partnership working to prevent or alleviate homelessness for 18-25-year-olds in the Greater Manchester region via its empowering Pathfinder programme – was proud to share with attendees just how much positive impact their donations create for struggling young people.

“Pathfinder catches you before you fall. They don’t wait for you to go into a crisis before they help you.” ~ Freya

GMMC’s GMBOP grant funding

In 2023, the GMMC match-funded a grant from LandAid for GMBOP and Pathfinder to create the ‘Winter Warmth Fund’ – providing vital extra support and provisions for those young people facing acute challenges as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. As part of the Pathfinder programme’s ‘Personalisation Fund’, this money was put towards purchasing suitable clothing and blankets, energy bill support, support covering rental arrears, heaters and food, according to each individual need.

More recently, GMBOP was delighted to have successfully secured a second grant from the GMMC of £10,000 – to be match-funded by Greater Change, an organisation providing flexible financial support to people experiencing homelessness. Combined, this pivotal funding will predominantly support young single parents experiencing homelessness with items and provisions they have expressed a need for to help them achieve long term stability; from childcare support to educational courses, autism-friendly early years sensory sessions to debt support. We’re already so excited to put this money to work.

Meaningful outcomes for young people

At the Gala, GMBOP was delighted to be joined by two Pathfinder participants, Ellie and Freya, who have each accessed the Personalisation Fund during challenging times and been supported by a Pathfinder coach to develop the skills and confidence to pursue their goals and ambitions.

Both Ellie and Freya took part in a powerful video interview sharing their experiences with the room, concluding:

“I would say thank you, but it’s not even enough for what [Pathfinder] has done for me. I can actually see myself doing something in five years.” ~ Ellie

“Pathfinder catches you before you fall. They don’t wait for you to go into a crisis before they help you.” ~ Freya

It was also a joy to see one of Pathfinder’s former participants – whose aspiration a few years ago was to become a photographer and videographer – working behind the scenes throughout the evening to capture the magic of the night, alongside the wider photography crew. While on the programme, this individual used Pathfinder’s Personalisation Fund to purchase their first camera.

Gala #vibes

The evening bubbled with connection, warmth, shared purpose – and raised a total of £40,000 for the charity… More than double that raised at the two previous galas combined! Funds will go towards the GMMC’s flagship ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, which provides funding for homelessness prevention programmes like GMBOP’s Pathfinder.

Among the entertainment, Manchester native Mr Scruff and local hero The Blind Poet performed; and attendees were even treated to a memorable surprise DJ battle between Mayor Andy Burnham and the BBC’s Nihal Arthanayake!

It continues to be a joy to be part of a network committed to finding and improving solutions to prevent and end homelessness in the region – and to help young people like Freya and Ellie overcome the barriers they face in order to live independent, fulfilling lives.

For more information on GMBOP’s Pathfinder programme, visit this page and the GMBOP website. To learn more about the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, click here. And if you have any questions or want to start a conversation, don’t hesitate to get in touch.