Charlton Athletic Community Trust’s (CACT) annual awards ceremony, sponsored by the Trust’s Principal Partner ITRM, took place at the House of Lords on Thursday, October 22nd, hosted by CACT Vice President The Lord Grade of Yarmouth CBE.
The CACT Awards are a yearly celebration of the organisation’s wide-ranging programmes across south-east London and Kent and recognise the achievements of its participants, staff and partners over the past year. Over 150 attendees joined CACT in the Cholmondeley Room at the House of Lords for a night of celebration.
The evening began with guests watching a video featuring CACT CEO Jason Morgan MBE, who spoke about the Trust’s recent key achievements. (Click below to watch the video)
Charlton Upbeat Will Ely got the evening started by sharing his CACT story with guests. Having been part of the much-loved Upbeats programme for 18 years, he reflected on the positive impact it has had on his life.
“I have done so many good things through attending this project,” Ely said in front of a packed room. “My team has won the national Down's syndrome title 10 times and we have played in competitions across the country. For the last eight years, I have gone to Belfast with my team and coaches. We play football against teams from other countries.
“I have also done many good things away from football. We went to Center Parcs. We stayed away from home and our parents were not allowed to come. That was the best part! I have loved all of the Charlton Upbeats Christmas parties I have been to, enjoying a few pints with my mates. I went to the Ministry of Sound nightclub with my Upbeats friends. We threw some shapes together.
“All of these things have been great, but the most important thing the project has given me is a passion for fitness and staying healthy. I want to help other people with Down's syndrome feel well and live well.”
Following Will’s speech, Lord Grade took to the stage to highlight some of the Trust’s key achievements from 2025/26. This included CACT working with more than 35,000 participants and achieving a committed spend of more than £7.2m. This marked the second consecutive year that the Trust has invested more than £7m into charitable work across south-east London and Kent.
Lord Grade then introduced each award sponsor and announced the respective award winners, who were selected earlier this year after judges Marilyn Toft (Chair of Trustees at CACT), Dave White (Managing Director of ITRM), Steve Sutherland OBE (CACT Ambassador), Farai Nyadundu (CACT Trustee) and Azmeena Azim (CACT Lived Experience Mental Health Project Assistant) worked through over 40 nominations made by CACT staff.
Read more about the winners
Participant of the Year (Over 18) - Sponsored and presented by Adams & Bowles Wealth Management
This award went to Nigel Kingscott, who has been a regular attendee of CACT’s Men's Social Evening sessions and has experienced first-hand the benefits of participating in the Trust’s programmes. Wanting to give something back to CACT, he has volunteered at Young Greenwich's Hawksmoor Youth Club for several years, preparing meals for young people, supporting sessions and sharing his skills as a chef with attendees.
Nigel, who first joined the Men's Social Evening sessions after experiencing difficulties in his personal life, said: “When I was going through thick and thin, it was Matt [at the Men’s Social Evening’s] who helped me get back on the straight and narrow. Since then, I haven’t looked back. I’m giving something back to Charlton Athletic and the Community Trust because of what they’ve done for me.”
Participant of the Year (Under 18) - Sponsored and presented by University of Greenwich
Tegan Rowe was recognised as Participant of the Year (Under 18) following her nomination by Young Greenwich staff. A long-standing member of Young Greenwich’s Avery Hill Youth Club, Tegan has gone from being a participant to a volunteer, and has given up over 100 hours of her time to support youth and family sessions.
Programme of the Year - Sponsored and presented by Bayliss Executive Travel
CACT’s Advanced Centre programme was recognised as the Programme of the Year. For 30 years, the Advanced Centre has identified and developed talented local young players, providing a pathway into academy football while also supporting participants into education and coaching. The programme has produced 18 Charlton Academy signings in the last seven years, while historic Advanced Centre graduates Danny McNamara and Karlan Grant both returned to SE7 earlier this year, underlining the longstanding impact the programme has had on producing players.
Looking back on his time in the Advanced Centre, McNamara said: “Playing in the Advanced Centre has definitely been a big factor in where I am today. I was really young and it helped me enjoy my football, play with freedom, meet new people and develop my skills to help make me the player I am now.”
Partner of the Year - Sponsored and presented by RSK Group
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust were the winners of the Partner of the Year Award, with Oxleas' Chief Executive Dr Ify Okocha collecting the trophy. Oxleas have worked alongside CACT for more than a decade to deliver life-changing mental health and wellbeing programmes, such as the Early Intervention in Psychosis and Up and At 'Em programmes. The recently renewed partnership between the two organisations will support these existing projects already helping people across south-east London and Kent, while introducing new initiatives over the next five years to support more clients.
Click here to read more about CACT’s recently renewed partnership with Oxleas.
Outstanding Staff Contribution Award - Sponsored and presented by former Charlton chairman Roger Alwen and his wife Heather Alwen
The Outstanding Staff Contribution Award went to Terry Peart. Terry has played a key role in the growth and success of CACT's mental health and disability projects during more than 15 years working at CACT, and the commitment he has shown to supporting participants and helping deliver life-changing outcomes stood out to judges in an ever-competitive category.
Charlton legend Bob Bolder, who has worked alongside Terry on delivering CACT mental health projects, explained more about why he was a deserving winner, saying: “What can I say about Terry? He's a hard worker, he's organised, very loyal and he believes in all the programmes that he works on. He’s passionate about delivering these projects but also very compassionate and it’s a joy to work with him and see how people react to him. I’ve learnt a lot from working with him.”
Excellence in EDI Award - Sponsored and presented by Luscid
Alcatel Submarine Networks UK and their Managing Director, Taj Bhambra, were announced as the winners of the inaugural Excellence in EDI Award.. Working in partnership with CACT, ASN UK helped develop a bespoke EDI training programme that is being delivered by the Trust to more than 500 employees at ASN. Created alongside Taj Bhambra, senior leaders and ASN's EDI committee, the initiative has helped strengthen understanding of EDI among colleagues across ASN.
Dr Michael Seeraj, Group Head of EDI at Charlton and CACT, said: “I’m really pleased that Taj and Alcatel are the very first recipients of this award. He is committed to this area of work and goes above and beyond what is required.
“I've been delivering EDI training at Alcatel and the staff there are absolutely passionate about this area, and that's driven by the leadership of Taj and his team.
“What’s important when delivering this training is that there is buy-in and belief from the leadership of an organisation, and that is led by Taj, which makes him a deserving winner of this award.”
Sir Maurice Hatter Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award - Presented on behalf of Lady Irene Hatter by men’s first-team manager Nathan Jones.
This award is handed out in honour of the late Sir Maurice Hatter, who was the President of CACT between 2010 and 2020. The winner of this year’s award was Azmeena Azim, who was surprised with the award on the night. Azmeena has been a passionate advocate for CACT's mental health programmes, supporting fellow service users by bravely sharing the story of how she received help through CACT's Early Intervention in Psychosis programme after experiencing a severe mental health crisis during the pandemic. More recently, she has started work at CACT as a Lived Experience Mental Health Project Assistant, using her experiences to help others on their journeys.
Former professional footballer Clarke Carlisle, who is now Chair of mental health charity Mind, first met Azmeena at CACT’s Oxleas partnership relaunch event earlier this year, and took to the stage to present her with her award.
“It was an amazing evening, full of amazing people,” Carlisle reflected. “I was given the task of presenting this award to Azmeena. People might know about her journey with CACT, but they might not realise what an incredible human being she is. We connected with each other because of our shared lived experience of adverse mental health.
“I haven’t got the words to describe what Azmeena is doing for other people in evidencing that there is a path through personal difficulty, and that you can use that to help others. It’s hard to articulate how impressive she is.
“For me to share the stage with her, especially because her family were here too, it was a wonderful moment.”
Everyone at CACT would like to thank the staff, participants and partners who helped make the evening a memorable one for all involved.
CACT’s vital work like this across south-east London and Kent wouldn’t be possible without voluntary donations.
Friends of CACT gives supporters the chance to back the Trust’s award-winning community work through regular monthly donations.
From as little as £10 per month, supporters can sign up to become a Friend of CACT and help the Trust continue to deliver life-changing programmes in health improvement, education, youth engagement and inclusion across South East London and Kent.
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