An Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist is the latest star to throw their weight behind ending homelessness as the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity newest ambassador.
Manchester born and bred Diane Edwards (nee Modahl) aims to bring her passion for community and resilience to her new role to amplify the charity’s work of ending homelessness across the city region.
Co-founder of the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (now Stride UK), the athlete wants to champion sport and bring it to the forefront of her role.
“Using sport more generally as a tool for us to drive our message is definitely going to be a big focus for me in the coming months and also bringing others on board that can help us get closer to answering that question,” she said.
“You don’t need to be a medal winning athlete, but by simply feeling a sense of belonging around a shared purpose can have a huge positive effect on people. Sport tells a story of resilience, triumph and overcoming adversity. The ability to feel that you’re connected to something, it has the power of being able to tell those stories.
“Sport can also be a powerful tool for fundraising. If you think of sport organisations like The Manchester United Foundation or City in the Community, and the many others across the region; you have a ready-made audience who love sport, and they understand the opportunity to break down those misconceptions of homelessness and raise vital funds.”
Diane’s journey with the charity started in its infancy. She helped form the foundations of its governance, ensuring the right structures were in place to support the mayor’s ambition to end rough sleeping. Now, as an ambassador, her focus shifts to putting a spotlight on the charity’s achievements and encouraging more people to support the cause.
“As an ambassador, my role is very much about shining a light on the great work the team are doing by promoting and reinforcing those key ambitions. Mostly it’s about helping the charity achieve their aims,” said Diane.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist Olympic medallist’s drive to support vulnerable communities stems from her upbringing, where church and sport played a crucial role in shaping her values.
“It was always a given. Where we can, we should naturally support others – that’s how we were raised. So, when I had the opportunity to help the charity, it was a natural thing for me to do.
“Homelessness affects all of us. You can’t unsee another human being suffering in the freezing cold and trying to understand what we can do to help is really driving me.
“There is a certain stereotype when it comes to homelessness and a misconception that it ‘won’t happen to someone like me’ but we are all just one street or one road away from it. It can happen through a multitude of reasons, from a relationship breakdown, loss of job, a divorce, it could be any number of reasons why.”
The charity is gearing up for its annual gala dinner, featuring a star-studded line up of guests and talent from Greater Manchester, including the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham.
Held at New Century, March 27, the gala is the charity’s headline fundraiser to support its flagship A Bed Every Night scheme.
Only a handful of tickets remain: https://www.gmmayorscharity.org.uk/events/gala-dinner-2025
The charity’s flagship ‘A Bed Every Night’ campaign has helped tackle homelessness across the region ever since its peak in 2017. Since 2020 it’s helped nearly 6,000 people, with 2,910 people supported in the last year alone. Since the launch of A Bed Every Night, it has helped reduce rough sleeping by 45% in the city-region.
