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Manchester Food And Drink Festival (MFDF) Awards And Therme Manchester Announce Brand New Community Food And Drink Project Of The Year Award
The Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) awards has announced a brand new category for 2025, “Community Food and Drink Project of the Year”, created in partnership with headline sponsor Therme Manchester. This new category recognises and celebrates the outstanding food and drink initiatives in Manchester making a real difference in the Greater Manchester Community, with nominations welcomed from organisations for both their own work and that of others.
TheCommunity Food and Drink Project of the Year will be awarded to a project or initiative in Greater Manchester that champions genuine social impact, innovation and long-term, sustainable benefits to local communities. This may be through tackling food poverty, promoting sustainability, improving access to healthy food or creating community connections through food and drink. Nominations can be submitted via the google form link here. Entrants for the Community Food and Drink Project of the year awards will need to provide the following:
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A concise summary of the project’s aims and activities.
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Evidence of impact.
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Examples of community engagement and partnership working.
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Any supporting materials (such as testimonials, photos, case studies, or data).
Judges will decide the winner based on five key criteria: community impact, innovation and creativity, inclusion and collaboration and leadership and inspiration.
The winning initiative will receive a £1,000 grant to support its work, alongside the co-creation of a £2,000 ‘legacy’ project such as a community cookbook, sustainability scheme or social value impact report. Winners will also receive mentorship support from the Therme Manchester team and wider supply chain experts in areas such as social value measurement, sustainability or communications, as well as promotional opportunities across Therme Manchester’s social media channels.
The winner will be announced at the MFDF Awards Dinner at New Century on Monday 26th January 2026.
The award has been created as part of MFDF’s partnership with headline sponsor Therme Manchester - a transformational large-scale wellbeing destination set to complete construction in late 2028 and welcome 1.7 million guests in its first year - and reflects Therme Manchester’s focus on promoting a sustainable and groundbreaking approach to wellbeing for people across the region.
Ben Dutson joint Head of Therme RPC, the food and wellbeing function of Therme Manchester, commented: The Community Food and Drink Project of the Year is all about shining a light on the incredible work of food and drink initiatives in the North West - whether that’s by helping to tackle food poverty or creating vital spaces and opportunities for community connection through food and drink.
Charlotte Harbour, joint Head of Therme RPC, added:
“As we prepare for the arrival of Therme Manchester, we are committed to supporting the wellbeing of the people and groups that make the city so special, and are delighted to celebrate the incredible, ongoing work of the food and drink industry in promoting health and happiness throughout the region.”
Alexa Stratton-Powell, Awards Director of Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards, added:
“We’re delighted to be introducing the Community Food and Drink Project Of The Year category to the awards. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate the amazing work, people and projects that continue to have a real impact in the region, and help to change people’s lives. Food, drink and hospitality hold a lot of value and power across the community, and can be a real driving force for connection, and shared moments of joy and wellbeing. We look forward to reading all the nominations that come through with the Therme Manchester team.”
The MFDF awards are the most prestigious and longest standing awards in the North West and celebrate the region’s exceptional hospitality industry, with 128 nominees this year across 16 categories. Members of the public can vote for the winners now via the MFDF website.
For more information about The Community Food and Drink Project of the Year award, or to nominate a project, visit www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
Posted on 18 December 2025
