24th September 2025
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 2025 celebrations took place at our Guildford Playcentre, where staff gathered for fish and chips (kindly provided for free courtesy of Cooper’s Fish and Chips), fun and games, before finding out the winners of our Staff Awards.
Staff Award Winners 2025
We had an amazing 133 nominations across five categories, with 57 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 – Chris McIsaac and Joe Edwards
“Chris is always looking at how we can get the Challengers name and approach out there. Nothing is ever impossible to him, he takes on every new situation with passion, will engage with multiple people to make sure it is the right direction to go in and give his all to ensure everyone benefits in the best way possible.”
“Joe sees no barrier that he cannot overcome. He is invested in giving young people the best experience possible and is incredibly proactive in ensuring he does everything in his power to provide a great service.”
‘Person Centered’ Award winner – Laura Attwater and Luke Flanagan
“Laura is an absolute gem who is so helpful and supportive of everyone, especially now that the Fundraising Team have been going through such a busy period. Laura has really stepped up to help relieve the pressure on them. Nothing is too much trouble and she’s always there to help.”
“Luke always takes time to understand and think about situations. He stays calm and if he isn’t sure of the answer he will find out and get back to you. He delivers information on an individual basis and makes sure everyone fully understands.”
‘Serious about Play’ Award winner – Cerys King-Hayes
“There’s a reason why a lot of the children love Cerys. She adapts herself to be playful for the type of young person she is with.”
“Her sense of fun is infectious to both children and staff!”
Trustworthy Award’ winner – Nat Wilson
“Nat has joined the team and from day one demonstrated her ability to be trusted to support the team and get done what needs to be done. She has built trusted relationships with her colleagues and is able to ask for help and support if she needs it and has also provided her colleagues with the opportunity to ask her for support and help as the trust is shared.”
‘Truly Inclusive Award’ winner – Maddie Church
“Maddie is exceptionally talented in supporting all children and young people in her engagement and will always find a way for communication to be had between herself and the children and young people.”
Challengers’ Chair of the Board Russell Harvey also made a ‘Chair of Trustees Award’ won by Ash Morgan, who was nominated across the categories for being an exemplary role model of the Challengers Approach.
We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all staff who were shortlisted across these five categories: Ben Watters, Ben Wigley, Cerys King-Hayes, Cress Robinson, Daisy Wills, Debbie Court, Ella Arbelaez-Rodriguez, Ellen Fenton, Hollie Steele, Jane Sutherland, Joe Edwards, Katie Potter, Kim Maher, Lauren Gilbert, Laura Attwater, Mel Teissonniere, Neil Francis, Nicola McGann, Sam Stephens, and Zoe Youkee. Thank you for everything you do – your dedication, passion, and hard work truly make you the heart of Challengers!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate and congratulations again to our Staff Awards winners!