Organisers of the Merseyside Women of the Year awards were due to welcome hundreds of people to the Crowne Plaza in Liverpool in June. Tony McDonough reports

Another high-profile awards even planned to take place in Liverpool this summer has been pushed back to the autumn due to the coronavirus crisis.

Organisers of the Merseyside Women of the Year (MWOTY) awards were due to welcome hundreds of people to the Crowne Plaza in the city centre on June 26 for the annual celebration of the city region’s “unsung heroines”.

Now this has been pushed back to Friday, September 11, taking place at the same venue. The change in date means the nominations for the awards will now be open until 11.59pm on Friday, June 12. The public vote for the overall Merseyside Woman of the Year will open on Monday, July 13, and will close at 11.59pm on Friday, August 14.

Ellen Kerr and Jean Gadsby, organisers of the MWOTY awards said: “Following advice and updates from Public Health England and the UK Government, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the Merseyside Women of the Year awards event. All tickets already purchased will remain valid for the rearranged date.

“The MWOTY awards are a much loved part of the city’s summer events calendar and the decision to postpone has not been taken lightly. However, the health and wellbeing of our team, guests, sponsors, suppliers and inspirational women is paramount.  

“We look forward to delivering a fantastic 10th anniversary on September 11 and encourage everyone to take advantage of the extended nomination period, by shining a light on the inspirational women in your lives, communities and workplaces.

Michael W Halsall Solicitors, will return as the event’s headline sponsor for the seventh consecutive year. Other category sponsors for 2020 include Leonard Curtis, Community Foundation for Merseyside, Neo Community and ADD Solutions, Courage & Sparkle, Everton FC and FPC Financial Services.

For guidelines and to nominate someone for the awards, click here.