Afrocats are proud to announce that our founder and CEO Magdalen Bartlett has won the Dianne Oxberry Special Impact Award for her work supporting Manchester’s global majority refugees and asylum seekers at the annual This is Manchester Awards.
The award is held in the much-loved BBC presenter Dianne's memory after she tragically passed away from ovarian cancer in 2019, and celebrates those who embody her indefatigable spirit and sunny demeanour together with her passion for the city of Manchester.
Magdalen was selected as winner due to her grit and determination to make a real difference to marginalised people’s lives, and she has had an outstanding positive influence on those in the northwest facing barriers due to immigration status, age, class, cultural inexperience, and lack of education.
Through Afrocats, Magdalen helps make Manchester fairer as she levels the playing field for all from the global majority who call this city home by advocating them at events and projects across the region.
Magdalen says of her award:
‘I'm extremely thankful to receive the Dianne Oxberry Special Impact Award. This will help Afrocats do even more for the causes that we’re fighting for, and I believe that it is important to empower young people who are from underrepresented backgrounds like mine so that they can see that it is possible to achieve what they want in life.’
Hear about the background to the award below:
And see Magdalen’s inspirational acceptance speech together with pictures of the night below - it’s not every day you receive a bow from a national TV icon like Jenny Powell!
What an amazing way to round off 2024 for Afrocats.
Afrocats would like to express our heartfelt congratulations to all This is Manchester Awards winners and nominees; we all know Manchester wouldn’t be ‘doing things differently’ without each and every one of you.
And the next chapter for what was once a one-woman community group called Afrocats has only just begun - in the words of comedian Peter Kay to Dianne Oxberry:
‘God love her… Magdalen has made it sunshine for everybody.’
Discover Magdalen’s story from refugee to award-winning CEO of Afrocats here.
And visit the The Dianne Oxberry Trust website to find out more about their invaluable work raising awareness about ovarian cancer.
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