Bola Olayemi
Nominee Profile
Location: Greater Manchester
Bola Olayemi is the Founder and CEO of Ceebee Gold Foundation, a Manchester-based community organisation dedicated to supporting vulnerable individuals and families across diverse communities. Her work is driven by compassion, service, and a strong commitment to reducing inequality, tackling food poverty, and improving health and wellbeing.
Bola has become a trusted and respected community leader, known for her hands-on approach and consistent dedication to supporting those most in need across Manchester, particularly in Openshaw, Clayton, and surrounding areas. She works closely with individuals and families facing hardship, social isolation, and health inequalities, ensuring they receive timely support and access to essential services.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bola demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to her community. She supported over 60 households weekly and reached more than 1,000 individuals at the peak of the crisis. Through the Ceebee Gold Foundation, she coordinated emergency food parcels, welfare checks, and doorstep deliveries to ensure vulnerable people, especially older adults and isolated individuals, were not left without support during a critical time.
Following the pandemic, Ceebee Gold Foundation has continued to expand its services and impact across Manchester. The organisation now provides structured community support including weekly foodbank services, health and wellbeing activities, cultural engagement programmes, and “Skills for Life” training sessions. These programmes are designed to improve confidence, reduce isolation, and equip individuals with practical life skills to support independence.
The foundation has also received several referrals from Manchester hospitals for aftercare support, particularly for individuals recovering from strokes and those experiencing ongoing health and well-being challenges. Through these referrals, Ceebee Gold Foundation provides community-based follow-up support, wellbeing checks, emotional support, and signposting to appropriate healthcare and social services.
Bola is also an ambassador for Manchester City Council on food poverty and works in partnership with the NHS on community health initiatives, particularly health checks for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities and other underserved backgrounds requiring additional support. Through this role, she helps to reduce health inequalities, improve early detection of health conditions, and increase access to preventative healthcare within marginalised communities.
She is also a strong advocate for safeguarding and raising awareness about domestic violence. She actively supports vulnerable women and families who may be experiencing abuse, offering safe spaces, emotional support, and referrals to specialist domestic violence services. Her work ensures that individuals at risk are identified early and supported appropriately, helping to safeguard lives and promote safety within the community.
In addition to her wider community work, Bola has become known locally as a “Blood Pressure Champion” due to her proactive health outreach efforts. Through regular community blood pressure checks, she has identified individuals with dangerously high blood pressure who were previously unaware of their condition. Between 2025 and 2026, four individuals were identified with critical readings and were immediately referred to the hospital for urgent medical attention, preventing serious health complications and potentially saving lives.
Bola also serves as a women’s community leader across Openshaw and Clayton, where she supports women through peer support groups, empowerment sessions, advocacy, and signposting to local services. Her leadership has helped many women build confidence, access support services, and take positive steps towards improving their wellbeing and independence.
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to community service, Bola was invited to Buckingham Palace in 2025, highlighting her national impact and dedication to grassroots community work. She has also received recognition from local organisations and community partners for her continued commitment and positive influence across Manchester.
Furthermore, Ceebee Gold Foundation was approached by BBC Television for a community feature. The BBC visited the community centre, conducted interviews, and broadcast the organisation’s work in March 2026. This national exposure significantly increased awareness of the organisation and enabled more individuals across the United Kingdom to access support.
Bola has also supported individuals into employment by connecting them with training providers, volunteering opportunities, and local employers. Several beneficiaries have successfully progressed into paid employment, improving their financial independence and long-term stability.
Bola continues to lead with compassion, resilience, and determination. Her vision is to build stronger, healthier, and more inclusive communities where no one is left behind, and where every individual has access to dignity, support, and opportunity.
Why this nominee should win:
Bola Olayemi should be recognised for her outstanding and sustained impact on some of the most vulnerable people in Manchester. Her work demonstrates exceptional leadership, innovation, and compassion in addressing food poverty, health inequalities, safeguarding concerns, and social isolation within diverse communities.
Her approach is not only reactive but preventative, particularly through her community health outreach work, where she has directly contributed to life-saving interventions by identifying undiagnosed high blood pressure and ensuring urgent medical referrals. This demonstrates measurable, real-world impact on health outcomes.
Bola’s influence extends beyond local delivery. Through strategic partnerships with Manchester City Council, NHS services, and community organisations, she has helped bridge gaps between statutory services and hard-to-reach communities, particularly within BME and marginalised groups.
Her work is also highly sustainable, having evolved from an emergency pandemic response into a structured, multi-service community organisation that provides ongoing food support, health programmes, women’s empowerment initiatives, and employability pathways.
The recognition from Buckingham Palace and coverage by BBC Television further demonstrate the national significance of her work and its growing impact across the United Kingdom.
Bola is not only delivering services — she is transforming lives, preventing crises, and building stronger communities. Her leadership embodies the values of inclusion, equality, and service, making her a highly deserving candidate for this award. Thank you
Bola has become a trusted and respected community leader, known for her hands-on approach and consistent dedication to supporting those most in need across Manchester, particularly in Openshaw, Clayton, and surrounding areas. She works closely with individuals and families facing hardship, social isolation, and health inequalities, ensuring they receive timely support and access to essential services.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bola demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to her community. She supported over 60 households weekly and reached more than 1,000 individuals at the peak of the crisis. Through the Ceebee Gold Foundation, she coordinated emergency food parcels, welfare checks, and doorstep deliveries to ensure vulnerable people, especially older adults and isolated individuals, were not left without support during a critical time.
Following the pandemic, Ceebee Gold Foundation has continued to expand its services and impact across Manchester. The organisation now provides structured community support including weekly foodbank services, health and wellbeing activities, cultural engagement programmes, and “Skills for Life” training sessions. These programmes are designed to improve confidence, reduce isolation, and equip individuals with practical life skills to support independence.
The foundation has also received several referrals from Manchester hospitals for aftercare support, particularly for individuals recovering from strokes and those experiencing ongoing health and well-being challenges. Through these referrals, Ceebee Gold Foundation provides community-based follow-up support, wellbeing checks, emotional support, and signposting to appropriate healthcare and social services.
Bola is also an ambassador for Manchester City Council on food poverty and works in partnership with the NHS on community health initiatives, particularly health checks for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities and other underserved backgrounds requiring additional support. Through this role, she helps to reduce health inequalities, improve early detection of health conditions, and increase access to preventative healthcare within marginalised communities.
She is also a strong advocate for safeguarding and raising awareness about domestic violence. She actively supports vulnerable women and families who may be experiencing abuse, offering safe spaces, emotional support, and referrals to specialist domestic violence services. Her work ensures that individuals at risk are identified early and supported appropriately, helping to safeguard lives and promote safety within the community.
In addition to her wider community work, Bola has become known locally as a “Blood Pressure Champion” due to her proactive health outreach efforts. Through regular community blood pressure checks, she has identified individuals with dangerously high blood pressure who were previously unaware of their condition. Between 2025 and 2026, four individuals were identified with critical readings and were immediately referred to the hospital for urgent medical attention, preventing serious health complications and potentially saving lives.
Bola also serves as a women’s community leader across Openshaw and Clayton, where she supports women through peer support groups, empowerment sessions, advocacy, and signposting to local services. Her leadership has helped many women build confidence, access support services, and take positive steps towards improving their wellbeing and independence.
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to community service, Bola was invited to Buckingham Palace in 2025, highlighting her national impact and dedication to grassroots community work. She has also received recognition from local organisations and community partners for her continued commitment and positive influence across Manchester.
Furthermore, Ceebee Gold Foundation was approached by BBC Television for a community feature. The BBC visited the community centre, conducted interviews, and broadcast the organisation’s work in March 2026. This national exposure significantly increased awareness of the organisation and enabled more individuals across the United Kingdom to access support.
Bola has also supported individuals into employment by connecting them with training providers, volunteering opportunities, and local employers. Several beneficiaries have successfully progressed into paid employment, improving their financial independence and long-term stability.
Bola continues to lead with compassion, resilience, and determination. Her vision is to build stronger, healthier, and more inclusive communities where no one is left behind, and where every individual has access to dignity, support, and opportunity.
Why this nominee should win:
Bola Olayemi should be recognised for her outstanding and sustained impact on some of the most vulnerable people in Manchester. Her work demonstrates exceptional leadership, innovation, and compassion in addressing food poverty, health inequalities, safeguarding concerns, and social isolation within diverse communities.
Her approach is not only reactive but preventative, particularly through her community health outreach work, where she has directly contributed to life-saving interventions by identifying undiagnosed high blood pressure and ensuring urgent medical referrals. This demonstrates measurable, real-world impact on health outcomes.
Bola’s influence extends beyond local delivery. Through strategic partnerships with Manchester City Council, NHS services, and community organisations, she has helped bridge gaps between statutory services and hard-to-reach communities, particularly within BME and marginalised groups.
Her work is also highly sustainable, having evolved from an emergency pandemic response into a structured, multi-service community organisation that provides ongoing food support, health programmes, women’s empowerment initiatives, and employability pathways.
The recognition from Buckingham Palace and coverage by BBC Television further demonstrate the national significance of her work and its growing impact across the United Kingdom.
Bola is not only delivering services — she is transforming lives, preventing crises, and building stronger communities. Her leadership embodies the values of inclusion, equality, and service, making her a highly deserving candidate for this award. Thank you