The event raised over £200,000 for Variety, the children’s charity and was hosted by England and British Lions rugby legend Martin Bayfield at the Hilton Hotel Deansgate.

TheBusinessDesk.com was the media partner for the event.

Home Bargains founder Tom Morris and George Downing, Chairman of the Downing Group, stunned the audience of property professionals with two on-the-spot donations of £50,000 each to purchase two new Variety Sunshine Coaches.

Later in the evening, Mark Goldberg, Commercial Chief Executive of Together pledged to purchase an additional Sunshine Coach to support our programme.

Will Ainscough of Wain Group was highly commended with the Special Recognition Award for his outstanding contributions to the property industry, earning him recognition as one of the most influential figures in the North West.

He has continually supported disabled and disadvantaged children and through his presence within the industry, has supported community initiatives and local causes. He was also instrumental in obtaining planning permission for the UK’s largest regeneration project: Future Carrington.

Ainscough said his success is down to staying humble and determined, commented:

I’ve been very fortunate to have such valuable leadership and guidance from my father throughout my career, but without doubt we wouldn’t be where we are today without all the tireless efforts of all involved in the business.

Other individual winners on the night included Anthony Mellor of B8RE who was crowned Agent Of The Year for completing an impressive 35 letting transactions in 2023 which notably included the transaction of Unit 6 Rivington Court, and Debra Cooper of Hill Dickinson (Professional Adviser Of The Year) for an outstanding contribution to the property industry since moving to the firm in April 2023.

The evening also included the Property for Purpose Award, where Onside Youth Zones were commended for their efforts in orchestrating the Warrington Youth Zone – a £7 million purpose-built state of the art facility supporting 50,000 young people aged 8-19.

Concluding a successful evening, Lyn Staunton, Development Director for Variety, said:

I am blown away by the donations. This incredible amount of support will go a long way in ensuring we can continue to help fund more specialist equipment for disadvantaged children in the area.

We received a diverse selection of entries for each category and it proved to be a really hard judging process. We’re really proud to be able to finally announce the winners and see the joy on so many people’s faces after all the hard work they have put in this year.

Backing for the awards saw some of the biggest names in property offer their support. Kingmoor Park Properties and Together were headline sponsors and Downing pledged to be the partnership sponsor.

Board members in attendance included:

  • George Downing, Chairman of the Downing Group 
  • Paul Reeves, Managing Director for Kroll 
  • Mark Hawthorn, CEO for Landmark Group 
  • Mark Bailey, Managing Director for Landwood Group
  • Richard Ainscough, Group CEO and Chairman for Network Space 

The event aimed to celebrate the property industry and help fund more wheelchairs, Sunshine Coaches, Great Days Out and specialist equipment for disabled and disadvantaged children in the North West.

The winners in full:

Agent of the Year

Shortlist:

  • Anthony Mellor – B8RE
  • Anna Main – Re:Volve
  • Neil Higson – Wildbrook
  • John Sullivan – Colliers

Winner: Anthony Mellor – B8RE

Funder of the Year

Shortlist:

  • Together
  • Rothschild & Co
  • Reward
  • PMJ
  • Santander

Winners: Together and Rothschild & Co

Innovation of the Year

Shortlist:

  • Network Space Developments
  • Travis Perkins 
  • Onsite Energy

Winner: Network Space Developments

Professional Advisor of the Year

Shortlist:

  • Debra Cooper 
  • Samantha Rollason 
  • TLT Solicitors
  • JMW

Winner: Debra Cooper – Hill Dickinson

Rising Star

Shortlist:

  • David Searle – HSPG 
  • Alexandra Harrison – Falconer Chester Hall
  • Akeel Malik – Urban Splash
  • Jamie Blennerhassett – Hassett Homes 

Winner: Alexandra Harrison – Falconer Chester Hall

Sustainability Award

Shortlist:

  • Ask Real Estate 
  • Fairhaven 
  • Bruntwood 

Winner: Ask Real Estate

Property for Purpose

Shortlist:

  • Onside Youth Zones (OYZ) 
  • Mayfield Partnership 
  • Embassy Village 

Winner: Onside Youth Zones (OYZ)

Special Recognition Award

Surprise award 

Winner: Will Ainscough – CEO of Wain Group