Announcements
Published: 4 November 2025 by LRwatkins
It turns out that gravy isn’t something only found on your bangers and mash! In August, Jen Andrew’s took part in a Gravy Wrestling Championship to fundraise for LGBT Foundation, further supporting the important work we do around Manchester.
Our Village Angels provide safety and support to the LGBTQ+ community during nights on Canal Street. This is where Jen first got involved with our work, providing her the opportunity to give back to the community while meeting friendly, likeminded people.
“We’ve got a great Village here in Manchester and people should be able to enjoy it free from harm or judgement, if I can help people have a good time on their night out and get home safely, that means an awful lot to me.”
Spending time with her fellow Angels, ensuring the safety of the community while building long-lasting friendships, is what inspired her to complete a fundraiser for LGBT Foundation. Not only did this enable her to take her wrestling skills to the next level, but it also provided the Foundation with essential support to continue their work.
“I’ve found my interactions with our service users really rewarding… not just people approaching us on the street saying thanks for having helped them or their friend in the past (which is absolutely lovely and appreciated), but more so the satisfaction of knowing we’ve done something good whether the service user remembers it or not!”
Having picked up wrestling to impress her nephews, this Championship seemed like the perfect way to honour the LGBTQ+ community in a fun way where she could show off her talents. Hearing about Gravy Wrestling Championship through a friend, and seeing some of the footage (with people wrestling in paddling pools of gravy) she knew that this would be a perfect opportunity to combine her passions with her beliefs.
If you are considering fundraising yourself, she recommends:
“Just do it! And if you can, choose something a bit daft or different to get people talking … not that I’m advocating everyone does gravy wrestling. The paddling pool might get a bit crowded.”
Learn more about her journey and boost her fundraising total by visiting her JustGiving page.
Whether you’re looking to follow in their footsteps, or take on a new challenge of your own, you can download our FREE fundraising pack to get inspiration and help us continue to spread queer hope and joy!
