Manchester, Rochdale and Trafford Councils were all prize-winners at Walk Ride GM’s second annual awards event this week.
Across an energising ceremony in front of a packed venue, half of the categories saw the region’s 10 boroughs battling it out for accolades from Best Proposed Scheme and Best Completed Scheme to the hotly contested Most Improved and Best Council.
Marking exciting times for the core of the region, Manchester City Council claimed two titles – for the completed scheme to reallocate road space and curtail car use on Deansgate, and as Best Council for the ever-growing pipeline and clear ambitions for the near future.
Rochdale Borough Council’s advancements over the year were rewarded with the Most Improved Council prize – acknowledging their commitment to continuing with the Castleton scheme for the greater good despite noises from a vocal minority of objectors.
With an eye on building a genuinely connected network of walking, wheeling and cycling routes, Trafford Council’s ambitious proposals to transform Seymour Grove received the Best Proposed Scheme award.
Hosted at Station South in Levenshulme, the awards also recognised the successes of local volunteers and community organisations making a positive difference to their areas across the region.
Greater Manchester’s Bicycle Mayor Belinda Everett, nominated in two categories, took home the Best Activation Event award for her work organising the hugely impactful Black Unity Bike Ride, which has announced it will return for the next few years at least.
Walk Ride Tameside – one of several local area groups formed with support from Walk Ride GM volunteers – was named Best Community/Campaign Group for their work building bridges with Tameside Council and proposing the Tameside Trails greenways network, and the much-loved and tireless campaigner known to social media as ‘Owler Nook’ was crowned People’s Active Travel Champion for 2025.
But the biggest cheer of the evening was saved for the Best Campaign Success. The Walk Ride GM-led campaign to retain the direct cycling link through the MMU campus shows the importance of active citizenship, with hundreds making their voices heard in response to a proposed development of student halls on Cavendish Street. Manchester City Council’s planners recognised the clear evidence, and the developer was forced to amend their design to accommodate people walking, wheeling and cycling.
The full list of winners is as follows:
- Best council: Manchester City Council
- Most improve council: Rochdale Borough Council
- People’s active travel champion: Owler Nook
- Best activation event: Black Unity Bike Ride
- Best community/campaign group: Walk Ride Tameside
- Best proposed scheme: Seymour Grove (Trafford)
- Best completed scheme: Deansgate (Manchester)
- Best campaign success: MMU Cavendish Street cycling retention