Portico Sadie Massey Award Mentoring

Manchester
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Established in 2015, the Portico Library Sadie Massey Awards aim to encourage a life-long love of reading and writing in young people from all backgrounds. The Awards are named after Glasgow-born Sadie Massey and reflect her desire to spread a love of reading and writing. While living in Manchester, Sadie and her husband Alex began helping children through various charities.

For several years now Squad writers have mentored writers who have either won an award or been runners up. In 2020 Fielding Ronshaugen and Lenni Sanders mentored Belle Doyle and Ebony-Rose Howard-Wibier, in 2022 Isabella Sharp and Lydia Hounat mentored Emma Jones and Demi Aransiola and in 2023 Kayleigh Jayshree and Jay Mitra mentored Laaibah Wahid and Aaron Ankrah (pictured).

In 2026 we decided a change of tack and invited several south Manchester schools and colleges to nominate promising writers who would benefit from mentoring. Isla Barrow was chosen and will be mentored on her novel by Isabella Sharp.