Do you know of an armed forces family member we can celebrate? The Celebrating Forces Families Awards are back for 2023 and will focus purely on serving families in the UK armed forces and those who support employment of military families. If you have a deserving person, family, organisation or employer in mind – you can nominate them up to 18 January.
Winner of last year’s Overcoming Adversity Award, Scotty’s Little Soldiers founder Nikki Scott (main photo), reflects on how it felt to be nominated: “It was a huge honour and I felt proud to be representing Scotty’s Little Soldiers. It’s amazing when the difference Scotty’s makes to hundreds of bereaved military children is acknowledged.”
The awards are supported by the MOD through its Partner Employment Working Group. Chief of Defence People, Lieutenant General James Swift OBE, said the awards evening gave him the opportunity to meet families who have triumphed over adversity and undertaken some amazing projects. “I was touched to hear the story of nine-year-old Isobel Keating who provides care for her mother. The evening highlighted the importance of the community that has been built around the families of serving personnel and served as a reminder of the importance of our work on the UK Armed Forces Families Strategy,” he explains.
Nominate now – the 2023 award categories
- Inspirational Family Member – someone of any age who has gone the extra mile as a family member of the armed forces community and, as a result of their efforts, has also helped to inspire others.
- Young People’s Award – for a service child who has given their time and energy to the betterment of the armed forces community – up to 18 years of age.
- Family Volunteer – a family or family member of any age who has volunteered towards an armed forces cause.
- Overcoming Adversity – someone who has experienced and achieved success despite living through an unfortunate event, experiencing difficulties or challenges.
- Military Family Charity of the Year – a charity which has provided exemplar support to armed forces families during 2022.
- Social Media Influencer – someone who is part of the military family, and been instrumental in spreading the word and supporting the armed forces community through social media.
- Armed Forces Advocate(s) of the Year – the winner publicly and positively supports the serving community. This could be a school, group, club, family or an individual.
- Away from Home (new for 2023) – specifically for a family member, or family who is/are based overseas and has/have gone above and beyond to help their local military community.
- Small Business Owner – for a military family member who has set up their own business due to the nature of a mobile lifestyle and made it the best it can be.
- Exemplar Forces Family Friendly Employer – for the employer who has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, uses Forces Families Jobs and is actively seeking and supporting partners, spouses and young adults from service families.
The awards evening
There’ll be a formal dinner and ceremony held at the Victory Services Club in London on Friday 28 April 2023. Tickets will be available in December or join in from home on the night via the live stream.
Follow the CFF team at @CelebratingForcesFamilies or go to celebratingforcesfamilies.co.uk