Posted on: 31 March 2026
Leaders, practitioners and community organisations from across West Yorkshire came together at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on Monday, 23 March to celebrate the Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Awards 2026 - a landmark event marking five years of the West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme.
Hosted by journalist and broadcaster Tanya Arnold, the evening recognised the people and partnerships driving trauma-informed change across services, communities and systems.
Over 60 nominations were received across 12 award categories, highlighting the compassion, innovation and collaboration taking place across health, local authorities, education, policing, criminal justice and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. The awards celebrated individuals and teams who are helping create safer, more compassionate and more equitable systems for people affected by adversity and trauma.
Award 1: children, young people and families
Presented by: Professor Federica Angelie, University of York
Nominees:
- Denise Wheatman
- Autism Angels
- Chris Rigby
- Sunjeeda Hanif
Winner: Denise Wheatman
Denise led the development of Wakefield’s Risk and Resilience Framework, creating practical tools and training to help practitioners support children and young people through trauma-responsive, strengths-based conversations.
Award 2: collaboration and partnership
Presented by: Emmerline Irving, Head of Improving Population Health
Nominees:
- Lisa Buchanan
- Leeds Involving People - Forum for Race Equality in Social Care and Health (FRESH)
- New Vision Bradford Partnership
- Service User Network (SUN)
Winner: Lisa Buchanan
Lisa led the More Than Weight lived experience project in partnership with Brightsparks, ensuring people living with obesity could safely share their experiences and influence national conversations on stigma, health and wellbeing.
Award 3: connection and belonging
Presented by: Samana Saxton, Senior Educational and Child Psychologist
Nominees:
- Age UK Wakefield – MCST Team
- Cally Gallagher
- Ingeus Academy
- Louisa Weeks
Winner: Age UK Wakefield - MCST Team
The team created welcoming weekly spaces for people living with dementia, helping individuals rebuild friendships, confidence and a sense of belonging while also supporting carers through peer connection.
Award 4: creating safety and trust
Presented by: Lee Wilson, Chief Executive, Outwood Grange Academies Trust
Nominees:
- Ingeus Young Adult Team
- Family Drug and Alcohol Court Team, Barca Leeds
- Sunjeeda Hanif
Winner: Ingeus Young Adult Team
The team provides trauma-informed spaces where young adults involved in the criminal justice system can explore their goals, build trust and shape their own support journey.
Award 5: cultural humility and equity in action
Presented by: Matt Rees, Trauma Informed Lead, Wakefield Council
Nominees:
- Leeds Involving People – Forum for Race Equality in Social Care and Health (FRESH)
- Jonathan Parker
- Sunjeeda Hanif
- David Naylor MBE
Winner: Leeds Involving People
The organisation creates a member-led space where people with lived experience of racial inequality identify barriers and influence change in health and social care services.
Award 6: empowerment, choice and voice
Presented by: Caroline Andrews, Senior Project Manager, West Yorkshire ATR Programme
Nominees:
- Battle Scars
- Brightsparks
- Jonathan Parker
- Visible Leadership Reference Group
Winner: Battle Scars
Battle Scars provides trauma-responsive support for people affected by self-harm through services led by lived experience, creating non-judgemental spaces where individuals feel accepted and empowered.
Award 7: healing, hope and recovery
Sponsored by: The Royal Armouries
Presented by: Cat Stiles, Community Project Officer, The Royal Armouries
Nominees:
- Living Well – Calderdale Women’s Cancer Support Network
- Wakefield WY-FI Plus Team
- Sunjeeda Hanif
Winner: Sunjeeda Hanif, Women’s Whispers
Women’s Whispers supports women through peer connection, advocacy and culturally safe community spaces that promote healing, resilience and confidence.
Award 8: innovation in trauma responsive practice
Sponsored by: First Event
Presented by: Katie Clements, First Event
Nominees:
- BLOSM Substance Care Team
- PMVA Team
- TortureID
- UKind Therapy CIC
Winner: UKind Therapy CIC
Founded by survivor Amanda Haigh, UKind Therapy developed UKind XR - a trauma-informed virtual reality and AI-supported platform providing immediate emotional support for survivors of domestic abuse and complex trauma.
Award 9: prevention and early help
Presented by: Andrew Nichols-Clarke, Head of Health and Justice Children Programme, NHS England
Nominees:
- Caroline Britton
- Horton Housing – People’s Committee
- Horton Housing – Culture Project Group
- Futures as a Way Forward
Winner: Caroline Britton, Project 6
Caroline champions harm reduction and accessible support, helping people access help early and without judgement while strengthening partnerships that prevent crisis.
Award 10: public health and population impact
Sponsored by: Rugby League Cares
Presented by: Bob Beswick, Rugby League Cares
Nominees:
- BLOSM Team
- Leeds Deaf Action Forum
- Project Hope
- Wakefield Public Health Partnership
Winner: BLOSM Team, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
The BLOSM team uses a trauma-informed approach within hospital settings to identify and support vulnerable patients experiencing substance use and complex needs.
Award 11: system transformation and leadership
Sponsored by: Health and Care Innovations Limited
Presented by: Rob Webster, Chief Executive Officer, West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
Nominees:
- Caroline Andrews
- Niamh Cullen
- Leeds Visible Project
- Richard Barber
Winner: Richard Barber, The Visible Project Leeds
Richard leads survivor-centred work transforming how services respond to childhood sexual violence while strengthening trauma-informed practice across Leeds and beyond.
Award 12: trauma responsive workforce
Presented by: Sally Lee, Senior Programme Manager, West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership
Nominees:
- ATR Workforce Workstream
- Horton Housing – Culture Project Group
- Reflective Practice Team, GIPSIL
- Staff Psychological Support Team
Winner: Staff Psychological Support Team, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The team provides structured emotional and psychological support for healthcare workers exposed to trauma and stress, strengthening staff wellbeing and resilience.
See the award shortlist for more information about each of the nominees.
Two additional special awards were made on the evening.
Unsung hero award
The Unsung Hero Award, which recognises someone whose compassion, dedication and quiet leadership have had a profound impact on others, went to Niamh Cullen. Niamh has dedicated her career to walking alongside people facing complex challenges. Through her work at the Union Street Project in Halifax and her leadership of Calderdale’s Drugs and Alcohol Strategy, she has helped shape services that meet people with dignity, compassion and humanity.
Special recognition award
Emm Irving, Head of Improving Population Health and West Yorkshire ATR Programme Lead, received a special recognition award – and a standing ovation from the audience.
Over the past six years, Emm has been a driving force behind the Adversity, Trauma and Resilience movement in West Yorkshire. Her leadership has helped bring together partners across sectors, strengthen trauma-informed practice and inspire a growing network committed to prevention, equity and compassion.
Reflecting on the awards and the wider programme, Emm said:
“The Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme has always been about people - the people with lived experience who have trusted us with their stories and the partners across West Yorkshire who have come together with a shared determination to do things differently. These awards celebrate the compassion, courage and collaboration that exists across our system.
The work does not end here - the relationships, learning and commitment we have built together will continue to shape how we improve health, wellbeing and opportunity for our communities.”
About the Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme
The West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme is a partnership hosted by NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and delivered in collaboration with the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership and the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership.
Over the past six years, the programme has brought together over 700 partners across health, local authorities, education, policing, criminal justice and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. Through a public health approach, the programme has helped partners understand the impact of adversity and trauma, strengthen trauma-informed practice and build a shared commitment to prevention and equity.
Through conferences, workshops, communities of practice and collaborative initiatives, the programme has supported system-wide culture change, strengthened workforce capability and ensured lived experience remains central to policy and service design.
As the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board transitions to its new role as a strategic commissioning organisation, the Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme will also evolve. Rather than hosting operational delivery, the ICB will champion trauma-informed principles through commissioning, ensuring prevention, partnership working, equity and value-based healthcare are embedded across services.
The ambition now is for trauma-informed practice to move beyond programme identity and become an embedded system norm. The relationships, learning and shared commitment built through the programme will continue to shape how partners across West Yorkshire work together to improve the health, wellbeing and life chances of the people who live and work in the region.