A retired Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist has become an ambassador for a Greater Manchester homelessness charity.
Diane Modahl, 58, will be representing the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity as it fights to provide beds and personal support for rough sleepers across the Manchester area.
The charity’s flagship ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme has helped nearly 6,000 people since 2020, with 2,910 people supported in the last year alone.
This has resulted in a 67% reduction in Manchester homelessness over a four-year period.
Modahl said: “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.”
Born in Manchester to Jamaican parents, Modahl settled into her first career as a runner – winning the 800m gold at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
However, it was her upbringing that she says shaped her later interest in charity work.
She said: “It was always a given. Where we can, we should naturally support others – that’s how we were raised.”
Modahl has been involved with charities for many years, co-founding the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (now Stride UK) in 2010, with the goal of providing athletic coaching opportunities for under-privileged young people.
She has also been involved with the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity since its inception, ensuring the right structures were in place to support the mayor’s ambition to end rough sleeping.
Having moved now into her ambassadorial role, she hopes to shine a spotlight on the homelessness issue, and on the ways the charity is tackling it.
She said: “I’m hoping we can become a beacon for other charities to follow and all the work that the team are doing.”
Modahl will be amongst those attending the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity gala dinner on 27 March 2025 at New Century, alongside Mayor Andy Burnham, with the goal of raising funds for the charity.
Other attendees include artist Dave Draws, poet David Steele, and broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake.
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