Award Nominations

We're delighted to share that two of our funded programmes have recently been nominated for awards with the NHS and BBC Radio Humberside. 

Keep reading to learn about the brilliant projects - and why they're so deserving of recognition!

Golden Star for Navigators Lead

Deputy Head of Safeguarding, Karen Harrison, has been nominated for an NHS Golden Stars Award. Golden Stars are the annual staff awards ceremony for the NHS Humber Health Partnership, taking place on the 3 July 2026.

Karen has been shortlisted for the ‘Excellence in Patient Safety Award’ thanks to her amazing work leading the rollout of our Navigators programme at Hull Royal Infirmary. The award will go to a team or individual who has successfully implemented an effective patient safety initiative.

Navigators are specially trained case workers who reach out to hospital patients aged between 11 and 35 who have been injured or traumatised by violence. They build relationships with these young people, guiding them to local services and providing ongoing support. The team engaged with 118 new people from April 2024 to March 2025; 51 of these individuals were aged under 24. Last year, the Navigators trained 412 professionals - including NHS staff - on topics such as mental health, trauma-informed care and the importance of their role.

Our Navigators programme was also named a Bronze Winner at the Public Sector Transformation Awards on the 4 March 2026. It was shortlisted for the Transformation in Health & Social Care Award. This award highlights the great impact for customers of health and social care through creative and forward-thinking services for children, young people or adults.

We're crossing our fingers for Karen!

Box Smart is Making a Difference

Our ‘Box Smart’ programme has been shortlisted for BBC Radio Humberside’s Make a Difference Awards.

The awards recognise individuals who make life better for people in our communities. We nominated the programme leads, Mike Gibbons and Bob Beautyman, for inspiring and engaging with young people through the power of boxing.

Box Smart is a collaborative programme supported by local schools and the Orchard Park Neighbourhood Policing Team. Each session seeks to improve wellbeing, encourage skills development and educate young people on the dangers of crime, including substance misuse, gangs and anti-social behaviour.

Our Chair Jonathan Evison and Director Richard Kendall recently visited the Wellbeing Hub to meet the Box Smart leads. They learnt how boxing is becoming more popular with girls and young women and how the team is building strong links with other youth providers.

In 2025-26, Box Smart engaged with 46 young people (aged under 25). 91% of participants said they felt safe, secure, and happy during the sessions, while 88% reported increased confidence in adopting pro-social behaviours. Notably, 86% of attendees formed new friendships, with 77% stating these relationships positively influenced other aspects of their lives, such as school attendance. Mental wellbeing improvements were reported by 92% of participants and 25% took on leadership roles, co-delivering activities to their peers - an encouraging sign of growing self-esteem and responsibility.

The Make a Difference Awards will take place in September 2026 – best of luck to Mike, Bob and Box Smart!