EMPOWER Youth Zones has been named Charity Business of the Year at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) Excellence Awards 2026.
The award recognises organisations that combine purpose with professional excellence. For Empower, that purpose is simple: giving young people in some of Manchester and Salford’s most under-resourced communities access to world-class youth work.
The difference we’re making
This year, Salford Youth Zone and HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton recorded 84,346 visits from 7,998 members. Seventy-six per cent of our active members live in the top 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England, 53% are eligible for free school meals and 20% have a disability or additional needs.
To make sure no young person is excluded, membership is free, sessions cost 50p and every young person receives a free hot meal. We served more than 70,000 this year. Our holiday club, open whenever schools are closed, welcomed young people 4,857 times.
Across both sites, 82% of young people improved or maintained their physical health, 79% their self-confidence, 75% their resilience and 74% their mental wellbeing.
Behind the numbers are real, young people like Daisie-Mae, who joined a residential trip nervous and homesick and was leading team games by the second night. In her words: “It helped me to build my confidence trying things that made me feel scared. I also made loads of friends who I still speak to every day.”
These outcomes come from skilled, consistent youth workers. EMPOWER now employs 150 staff, and we are investing in them through training and apprenticeships, including seven Youth Work Apprentices working towards their Level 3 qualification. Our work is made possible by our patrons, corporate partners and volunteers, whose support raised £1.5 million this year.
We’re grateful to GMCC for this recognition, and to everyone who supports our Youth Zones. Most of all, thank you to our young people, who are the reason for everything we do.
