Winners announced for FiMT Working Together Award at the 2020 Soldiering On Awards

On Thursday 24th September, the Soldiering On Awards announced Sussex and Kent & Medway Armed Forces Network as the winners of the FiMT ‘Working Together’ Award 2020.

The 10th annual Soldiering On Awards ceremony was due to take place in April, but was postponed due to Covid-19. Instead of gathering together in person, the winners of each category are being announced over a series of online ceremonies, culminating in a live-streamed event open to the public on 22nd October, where the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award will be revealed.

The winners of the FiMT ‘Working Together’ Award, Sussex and Kent & Medway Armed Forces Network Team, were announced alongside the Family Values Award and the Defence Inclusivity Award, which you can read more about here.

For the last eight years, the Sussex and Kent & Medway Armed Forces Network has made sure that people with a Forces background can access support and get help on issues ranging from physical and mental health, to housing, employment, welfare and social needs. NHS-led, and with a growing network of over 1000 Service Champions, its members include the MOD, police, local authorities, reservists, cadets and charities.

Ray Lock, Chief Executive of FiMT, said: “I’d like to express the sincerest congratulations of all of us at the Trust to the Sussex and Kent & Medway Armed Forces Network. We are delighted to see their achievements being recognised with the FiMT ‘Working Together’ Award. It is an honour to sponsor this award and to hear about the collaborative work all of the finalists have demonstrated. We commend them all for their magnificent achievements.

“At FiMT a collaborative approach is at the heart of what we do. We work all the time with policy makers, private and public sector organizations, academics and researchers, as well as other charities, to identify and share best practice for the benefit of the whole Armed Forces community. Seeing this approach put into front-line action, and recognising and rewarding those who do so, will inspire others to follow suit.

“In 2014, with the Soldiering On Awards team, we created the ‘Working Together’ category, and we’ve been the primary sponsor ever since. Our award recognises the commitment and innovative approach to collaboration by an individual, team or organization within the Armed Forces community.

“The Soldiering On Awards is an event that we are very proud to be a part of. Every year the Awards recognise many exceptional individuals and organizations, and give us all pause to look back on their extraordinary achievements.

“Collaboration has never been more important. As we are all having to find new ways to work together, we hope people will take inspiration from Sussex and Kent & Medway Armed Forces Network and the other fantastic finalists.”