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More than £3,400 was raised in donations after Culture Vannin was named the official charity partner of the Awards for Excellence 2025.
The glittering event, hosted by Isle of Man Today publisher Media Isle of Man, was held at the Villa Marina’s Royal Hall in Douglas on Thursday, November 20.
The awards, now in its 19th year, brought together over 1,000 guests from across the island’s business, community and creative sectors for a celebration of local enterprise, innovation achievement.
As charity partner, Culture Vannin’s involvement helped raise funds while also putting the spotlight on the charity’s work promoting Manx language, heritage and cultural identity across the island’s corporate and professional community.
Becky McSevney, Operations Officer at Culture Vannin, said she was ‘genuinely overwhelmed by the generosity shown on the night’.
She added: ‘Every donation, large or small, makes a real difference to our work with the cultural community of the Isle of Man.
‘The warmth and encouragement shown towards Manx culture and creativity at the Awards was truly inspiring.’
The evening also shone a spotlight on Manx identity and creativity through its cultural programme, which included the presentation of the Global Ambassador Award to musician Davy Knowles, and a tribute to the late Geoff Corkish, former MHK, MLC and vice-chairman of Culture Vannin.
Culture Vannin exists to support, promote and celebrate Manx culture in many forms - including language, music, dance, folklore, history, ecology, arts and heritage.
Next year will mark an important period for the organisation as it leads work on Blein ny Gaelgey, the Year of the Manx Language 2026.
A spokesperson for Culture Vannin said the donations will enable grants, education projects and community-driven initiatives designed to keep Manx culture a living, evolving part of everyday life for islanders.
Dr Breesha Maddrell, Director of Culture Vannin, said the Awards underscored the enduring value of cultural investment.
She said: ‘Manx culture strengthens our sense of belonging, inspires creativity, and connects people, no matter where we are from.
Events like the Awards for Excellence remind us how important it is to continue investing in our culture. It was especially powerful to see so many outstanding Manx cultural acts on stage, and to know that many of those nominated and celebrated on the night are people and organisations who actively shape our cultural identity and take it forward.’
Culture Vannin thanked Media Isle of Man, event sponsors and all donors for their support in making the fundraising initiative a success.
The Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence are widely regarded as one of the island’s flagship annual events.
For more information about Culture Vannin and how to support its work, visit the charity’s website at https://culturevannin.im/supportus/