Forum Central is a network created to support and provide a voice to third-sector organisations in Health and Care. Every June they host the Forum Central Learning Disability Awards, aiming to shine a light on the unsung heroes of Leeds who work day to day with and empower people with a learning disability. 

Many people underestimate the impact of voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) projects. These projects go far beyond simple information sharing, they empower underserved communities with knowledge about health and social care, combat health inequalities head-on and even collaborate with universities on research that drives real change.

Their mission and values align closely with Hippo’s Social Value proposition, working with local and national providers to create accessible digital packages, and supporting people to thrive with inclusive and accessible workplaces.

The Forum Central Learning Disability Awards is a fantastic event celebrating the hardworking, unsung heroes of the Leeds VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) sector. The awards dinner seeks to recognise the achievements of all, both nominees and winners of the awards. Forum Central chose the following awards:

Volunteer of the Year

The Volunteer of the Year award recognises the fantastic dedication of volunteers in VCSE roles. While the sector has seen a decline in volunteer numbers over the years, the unwavering support of our remarkable volunteers remains vital and so many of our organisations want to celebrate their commitment, recognising the crucial role they play.

Volunteering opportunities in the VCSE sector allow people to gain skills for future work, and give back to their community. Many of our volunteers go on to have careers in VCSE and other sectors. 

Sue Clayden from the Pyramid of Arts organisation won this award. 

Making a Difference Award

This award recognises a single project or piece of work done by an organisation and showcases the wide range and scope of projects completed by VCSE organisations.

Hippo sponsored the Making a Difference Award which was won by People Matters with the My Body, My Choice project.

The My Body My Choice groups were created to help improve access to healthcare services for autistic and/or learning-disabled adults in Leeds. They aim to provide useful and clear information in an open and relaxed environment. They provide group members with all the information they need to make informed decisions about their lives and bodies.

Most importantly the groups are led by their members, who choose topics important to them, welcoming any questions about people’s health, including stress management, diabetes, cancer screening, sexual health screenings and healthy relationships. 

This project had a focus on sexual health and well-being and highlighted a need for more awareness that learning disabled people can and do have sex. The project challenged stigma and stereotypes and visited sex shops and sexual health clinics. They shied away from nothing! 

Elissa Matley, CEO at People Matters commented on their award: “It is great to be recognised for a collaborative piece of work on a project that is much needed but can be considered taboo in the LD world.”

Media not available

Forum Central Learning Disability Member of the Year

The third award was the Forum Central Learning Disability Member of the Year – we have a membership of over 300 VCSE organisations based in Leeds – 80 of which are a part of the Learning Disability Network. 

This was awarded to Purple Patch Arts.

Outstanding Contribution Award

The final award was the Outstanding Contribution Award. This recognises the dedication of an individual, who has gone above and beyond to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities. 

This award was won by Sapphire Malcolm.

You can read more about our amazing nominees and winners here. 

Event organiser Dominique Burley commented, “Whilst sponsorship from Hippo has supported us to create a fantastic evening, which helped people relax and have a morale boost when every day can have its unique challenges, more importantly, they have made connections with our members to truly support the work they do and advocate for improved outcomes for disabled and/or neurodivergent people.”

Our own Karen Craddock and Sophie Strong were delighted to attend the event and present the Making a Difference Award to show their support.

Sophie said it meant a lot to her, “As a sibling of an autistic person and a potential undiagnosed neurodivergent myself, I’ve witnessed first-hand the progress throughout my life that the world has made in understanding and accepting individuals that steer in a different direction to the majority. 

“My favourite type of humans have always been those that share these values and continuously improve people’s lives to simply be themselves in the most comfortable environment possible. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart to my favourite types of humans that have been nominated for this category and our glorious winner.”

Karen was equally pleased to attend, saying, “As someone who is Autistic and has ADHD, I’ve spent much of my life adapting and masking in environments and situations painfully and with varying success. I am now passionate about ensuring that education, social and work environments don’t fail others as they have me.

This is especially important to me having seen my children go through the same things as me at school. This award is incredibly important, the people nominated and the winner all do a huge amount to give people the opportunities to live a life where they don’t feel like they need to adapt and where the environment adapts to them.”