gunnercooke shortlisted for three awards at Third Sector Awards and the Charity Times Awards. 

gunnercooke has been shortlisted in the Corporate Partnership of the Year – Small category at this year’s Third Sector Awards, and for Corporate Community Local Involvement and Charity Collaboration of the Year at the Charity Times Awards. 

These awards celebrate excellence across the voluntary and not-for-profit sector, recognising organisations, partnerships and individuals that make a meaningful social impact. 

For the Third Sector Awards, the firm has been recognised for its partnership with House of Books & Friends, the community interest company established post-pandemic by gunnercooke co-founder Darryl Cooke, who decided to do something to address the increasing levels of loneliness recognised in the wake of the pandemic. 

He decided to bring together his passion for books with wanting to do something tangible that would help people to connect with each other. House of Books & Friends opened in December 2022, funded by gunnercooke. Since then, House of Books & Friends has worked with a range of charities, raising awareness of, and helping address loneliness which can affect anyone, at any time. 

At the Charity Times Awards, the partnership has been shortlisted in the Corporate Community Local Involvement category, while the gunnercooke Foundation has also been shortlisted for Charity of the Year. 

Since opening in 2022, the not-for-profit bookshop and café has become a vibrant community hub, hosting events that bring people together through books, conversation and creativity while supporting initiatives including Wrap Up Manchester, the Children’s Book Project and its Pay it Forward scheme. 

Together, the partnership has welcomed more than 1,000 attendees to community events, donated hundreds of books to local charities and schools, and most recently has been named by Condé Nast Traveller as one of ’15 charming independent bookshops across the UK you’ll want to spend hours in.’ 

Laura Jones, Director of the gunnercooke Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for these awards and to be recognised by two different awarding bodies for our work through House of Books & Friends and the gunnercooke Foundation. 

“The House of Books & Friends was created to bring people together and tackle loneliness through the power of community, and this recognition reflects the passion and commitment of everyone involved. The partnership demonstrates what can be achieved when a business puts purpose at the heart of what it does, and we’re incredibly proud to see its impact recognised.”.