There was a lot of love in the room last week when we held the inaugural Northern Soul Awards 2017.

Creatives from across the North of England gathered at the Hilton in Manchester to celebrate and reward all manner of brilliant organisations and people. The fabulous Lemn Sissay hosted the awards, and later the inestimable Clint Boon was our DJ. Among the winners (a full list can be seen here) were The Lowry in Salford which scooped Gallery of the Year and Venue of the Year, Hope Mill Theatre in Ancoats which won Small Theatre of the Year and Fringe Production of the Year, and The Team at Hull UK City of Culture 2017 who walked away with Northern Soul of the Year. And there was a special shout-out for headline sponsor, AKA North. 

Our Head Photographer Chris Payne was there to snap the event. Check out the photo gallery below – lots of happy faces! We’ll be back next year with our 2018 awards – watch this space.

Helen Nugent, Editor of Northern Soul

Images by Chris Payne