Educate North Awards reveals the best in education for 2024

The University of Manchester, celebrating its 200th anniversary, was named ‘University of the Year’ during a prestigious event at The Hilton hotel in Manchester on Thursday 18th April 2024.

Judges, drawn from across business and academia, highlighted Manchester’s superb standing and achievements across the North and globally with an Alumni totalling 500,000 worldwide.

Broadcaster, Rob McLoughlin OBE founder of the Awards paid tribute to the winners, nominees and the team which produced the ceremony stating; ‘This is the North showing itself to be global leaders, superb educationalists and locally as well as universally focussed’.

‘The ENAs have grown in prestige and stature, and we’ve enjoyed record numbers of entries as well as an astonishing response from the radio audiences. We want it grow and encourage more enterprise, breakthroughs, and superb educational outcomes for the North and for the UK as a whole’.

2024 sponsors were Masood Entrepreneurship Centre at Alliance Manchester Business School, IT Capital, Interact, Pilot Group, The Protocol Group, CCUK owners of Smooth NW, Smooth NE, Heart Yorkshire, Protocol, Voiceworks (also part of CCUK) and John Kennedy CBE is Official Patron.


For more details see the report on the Smooth Radio and Heart websites:

https://campaign.smoothradio.com/educate-north-2024

https://campaign.heart.co.uk/educate-north-awards-2024-winners

Soho Dreams releases a new EP

Daniel Bravo and Jessica Pardoe sing ‘When I Look In The Mirror’ from a new six song EP release from the upcoming British musical ‘Soho Dreams’. Daniel as Michael Peters and Jessica as Sammy record the duet from Soho Dreams with musical director Ryan Mackenzie.

‘Their voices blend deliciously as the characters reveal their polar opposite views of a district which Michael hates and which Sammy seems wedded to’ said co-creator Rob McLoughlin.

‘It’s a big moment in the show’ he revealed;  ‘their futures depend upon which vision of a changing Soho they’ll opt for’.

The EP is released by Bucks Records (part of the Bucks Music Group on Spotify, Apple Music, and streamers worldwide.

The six songs also include ‘Burning Bridges’ performed by Barry Keenanas Jack ‘The Flash’ Goodman (who owns the part of Soho which the police don’t control), Lee Turner as ‘Tommy’ with ‘Love Tonight’; and ‘Show Me The Door’ by Jessica Pardoe who also sings the anthem ‘This Is My Life’ and the ballad ‘Child’ which were released as singles a few weeks ago.

More details are available on the Broadway World news site.

Rob McLoughlin pens new musical

The lead track from a new musical penned by Manchester journalist Rob McLoughlin and Ivor Novello and BAFTA-nominated composer Mark Russell has been released to stream.

Soho Dreams was first performed during lockdown as an audio project with a cast drawn from graduates of the Scottish Conservatoire in Glasgow. Workshops were later held in Islington in 2022, directed by Rosie Parker with Ryan Mackenzie as musical director.

More details on the Prolific North website here.

Entrepreneurs back the Educate North Awards

Four would-be entrepreneurs from universities across the North of England will once again face more than 400 academics, managers, guests, and industry leaders as they pitch their new business idea and wait for the audience to decide the winner.

The University Entrepreneurs Grant (UEG) will return on Thursday 18th April 2024 as part of the prestigious Educate North Awards and the winner will walk away with a £1000 prize to write a business plan and the chance to be mentored at the acclaimed Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) based at the Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester.

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