I have been really excited by this for a long time now and can eventually spill the beans on Umbro Industries!  This is a new initiative that awards up to £10,000 to the next new ideas in Greater Manchester.  If you have got an idea for a gig, a club night or creative project and need some help in the finance department then this could be for you.

Basically all that you have to do is submit your idea to the web site (umbroindustries.com) together with the amount you require.  There’s no limit to the amount you can lay claim to within the £10k budget. You just have to live, study or work in the Greater Manchester area and show passion and commitment to what you do.  Visitors to the site can then show their support through a five-star rating system and our crack panel of groundbreakers will set about sorting the wheat from the chaff before coming up with a shortlist of the most compelling, forward-thinking ideas from that quarter. The shortlisted applicants will then all get to present their ideas to the panel and the winner will go away with the spoils.

The panel consists of:

Mike Pickering, former Hacienda DJ, head of the soon-to-be-relaunched Deconstruction records and all-round Manchester institution;

Kevin Cummins, celebrated photographer, noted for his stellar portraits of David Bowie, The Smiths, Joy Division and the like;

Dave Rofe, also a former record-slinger at the Hac and now manager of Doves and Cherry Ghost, not to mention chairperson of the Manchester District Music Archive;

Mark Farrow, graphic design godhead and creator of some of the most iconic and eye-catching record sleeves of our time, most notably his idiosyncratic and unique work for Spiritualized and Pet Shop Boys;

David Pullan, Chief Marketing Officer for Manchester City and member of the club’s ‘executive leadership team’;

Our very own Trevor Cairns, Chief Marketing Officer for Umbro (and also my boss) and the brains behind the recent Live From City launch for City’s new tailored kit.

So what have you got to loose?  First set of awards closes on the 10th October. Get uploading your ideas now to umbroindustries.com