26th September 2024
At the end of August, we hosted Challengers’ annual summer staff party and awards to celebrate and recognise our amazing staff members and their accomplishments over the year. Our 2024 celebrations took place at our Farnham Playcentre, where staff gathered for pizza (kindly provided for free courtesy of PizzaExpress and Papa John’s in Farnham), fun and games, before finding out the winners of our Staff Awards.
Staff Award Winners 2024
We had an amazing 45 nominations across five categories, with 22 members of staff receiving recognition for how they demonstrate the Challengers Approach – the set of five values which define our organisation. The winners of each award were:
‘Ambitious Together’ Award winner – Joe Edwards
“Joe has an endless passion for Challengers and this can be seen across all the areas he works in. He is always willing to go that extra mile for children, families, staff and the jobs he is involved in. Thank you for everything you do Joe!”
‘Person Centered’ Award winner – Amy Wittish
“She does so much to make the children she works with and the staff team she manages feel appreciated, supported and cared for. Amy knows the children and staff team so well and will go out of her way to tailor activities, resources and plans for each child. She also makes sure each staff member is valued for the individual strengths they have – its beautiful to see!”
‘Serious about Play’ Award winner – Kevin Wanjiku
“Kevin, simply put, is the epitome of play. He brings a palpable, unwavering energy to scheme which is unmatched. He is absolutely adored by all staff, children and young people because he consistently shows up with a huge smile on his face, ready for a day of play. Kevin has transformed many times at Challengers, most recently he was a bird (after letting multiple children find and poke feathers into his beard!), he has been a penguin, a transformer, a police officer, a dragon, an escapee, every form of pokemon and much more! There is never a dull moment with Kevin around – Eastleigh would not be the same without him. He’s truly transforming the lives of children and young people through the power of play.”
‘Trustworthy Award’ winner – Jane Sutherland
“JANE IS AWESOME! I know that if I need support Jane will be there, and sometimes she knows I need help even before I do! She cares so much about each and every member of staff and young person at Challengers. Knowing Jane is there helps to make my job so much easier and much more fun.“
‘Truly Inclusive Award’ winner – Cress Robinson
“Cress always goes above and beyond and pushes the limits to create the safe, fun and inclusive environments. From staff to young people, she always encourages and supports you to achieve your best (and then a little bit more). She ensures every young person gets the opportunity to come to Challengers, and makes sure we do EVERYTHING we can to support them or adapt for them to ensure they feel the inclusivity that Challengers prides itself on.”
Challengers’ Chair of the Board Russell Harvey also made an ‘Extraordinary Award’ won by Paul Wilson, who was nominated across the categories for being an exemplary role model of the Challengers Approach.
We’d like to extend our congratulations to all staff who were shortlisted across these five categories – Abby Phillips, Sophie Hansen-Reading, Raven Habgood-Brown, Maddie Church, Daisy Price, Sabika Butt, Aoibhin Copeland, Olivia Elliott, Chris Gill, Ash Morgan, Rachel Tuck, Jen Corless, Alex Hubbard, Ella Arbelaez-Rodriguez, Ysabelle Searle and Hollie Steele. Thank you for everything that you do, you truly are the heart of Challengers!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate and congratulations again to our Staff Awards winners!