Riot clean up group give prize money to city charities

A defiant duo that won a prestigious award for their work organised an impromptu clean up after the August riots have decided to donate their prize money to community charities.

Riot Clean Up Manchester, a pair of volunteers who motivated more than a thousand people to help clean up the city following the disturbances, were praised for their efforts at the Be Proud Awards organised by Manchester City Council at the at the end of last year.

The pair - Jeremy Myers and Jen Perry - used social media such as Facebook and Twitter to begin their campaign while the riots were still taking place, and the response from Manchester residents and businesses was overwhelming.

They won both the Community Force award - recognising groups and individuals who have worked hard to create better communities - as well as the overall Pride of Manchester award, given to the best of the best.

Now, the pair has decided to split their £1,050 prize money - provided by sponsors - between Manchester charities.

Half of it will go to We Love Manchester, the new name for the Lord Mayor of Manchester's Charity Appeal Trust, which raises thousands of pounds each year to help Manchester's most needy people.

From arranging short breaks for some of the poorest families in the city, to providing vital grants to small charities, the Lord Mayor's charity has made a real impact on people's lives.

The other half will go to the Harpurhey-based Manchester and Cheshire Dogs' Home, which looks after thousands of dogs from across Greater Manchester every year.

Jeremy said: "This was a community award that was given to us for the work we'd done, and the We Love Manchester charity does very commendable work within the local community. We wanted to give something back to the people of Manchester because it's really their money.

"The award was about recognising what the Manchester community had done on that day, so we it was important to us that the money went back to the people of Manchester."

The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Harry Lyons JP, said: "The work that the Riot Clean Up Manchester did following the August disturbances was inspirational, and proved that the spirit of volunteering was alive and well among Manchester residents and businesses.

"I'd like to thank Jeremy and Jen for their generosity and for helping make sure this people's charity can continue to help people in the city."

Chris Bird, chair of the charity's fundraising committee, said: "The We Love Manchester charity is all about trying to make a difference to the city we love, which was exactly what the Riot Clean Up group set out to do - and achieved - back in August."