Charities shine at the 2025 Kent Charity Awards
In a glittering ceremony held on Thursday, 11 September at the Corn Exchange in Rochester, charities from across Kent gathered to celebrate the Tenth Kent Charity Awards. Hosted by Sangeeta Bhabra, presenter of ITV Meridian, the awards recognise the tireless efforts of Kent charities and their volunteers, highlighting the significant impact they have on the community.
Heart of Kent Hospice (HOKH), based in Maidstone, was awarded Kent Charity of the Year, receiving a standing ovation from the 220 guests as they accepted their award. Anne-Marie Kelly, CEO of HOKH, stated, “Winning this prestigious award means so much to us, as it highlights the dedication of our compassionate colleagues and volunteers. It reassures our supporters that every donation to Heart of Kent Hospice makes a difference and underscores the need for quality care for terminally ill people, allowing them to die with dignity and respect. Hospice care is essential as it can impact anyone—friends, family, or even ourselves.
Anne-Marie continued, “Thank you to the Kent Charity Awards for acknowledging our efforts in the community. This recognition helps raise awareness about the range of services we provide, from symptom management and pain control to support for carers and families with young children. We are a vital support network, and as understanding of hospice care grows in Maidstone, we hope more people will choose to support us. We look forward to the opportunities the next year will bring.”
Another standing ovation was given to Tony Hudgell and his parents, Paula and Mark who accepted the award for Fundraising Champion of the Year. Tony, who will be eleven next month, said to the guests, “I am really proud to accept this award on behalf of the Tony Hudgell Foundation. A big thank you to the organisers of the Kent Charity Awards for recognising the work that we do in supporting children from backgrounds of abuse. Everyone here tonight does fantastic work.”
Volunteer of the Year went to Alan Tompsett, a volunteer support worker at Maidstone Homeless Care. Tony, who has transformed his own lived experience of homelessness into a lifelong mission to help others, said, “I was totally amazed to be nominated for Kent Volunteer of the Year, and I didn’t think in a million years that I would win! I am speechless and completely overwhelmed by the whole experience.
The food was lovely, and it was a privilege to be in a room full of such good-hearted and generous people. My award will have pride of place at home.”
Trustee of the Year went to Daniel Valentine, from the Lovey Foundation, a charity dedicated to rescuing child workers from the quarries, farms and forests of rural Ghana and providing them with full-time education.
Susan Robinson, Head Judge, said of this year’s Awards: “Last night was a wonderful evening celebrating the great work done by charities in Kent. We had an opportunity to congratulate all our finalists before announcing each category winner, culminating in announcing our overall winner, Heart of Kent Hospice. This charity operates in a challenging environment that goes above and beyond to support end-of-life care for individuals and their families.
We also saw how the younger generation is stepping up to help charities fulfil their objectives, while also introducing a younger perspective. Furthermore, we saw previous users giving back to charities that had helped them. Well done to all our finalists and winners, you are all great ambassadors for the county of Kent.”
The Caldecott Foundation took home Children’s Charity of the Year. Nick Barnett, CEO, said, “We are honoured to have been named Children’s Charity of the Year at the Kent Charity Awards 2025. Entering for the first time in ten years, this recognition is a meaningful testament to the children and young people we support every day.
None of this would be possible without the Kent community; from local businesses and schools to individuals who champion our work. Most importantly, this award shines a light on the children, whose courage and resilience inspire everything we do.
The full list of our 2025 winners is as follows:
Kent Charity of the Year: Heart of Kent Hospice
Trustee of the Year: Daniel Valentine – The Lovey Foundation
Volunteer of the Year: Alan Tompsett – Maidstone Homeless Care
Best use of Volunteers: Sevenoaks Samaritans
Disability Charity of the Year: Wealden Sailability
Mental Health Charity of the Year: Crossroads Care Kent
Large Charity of the Year: Royal British Legion Industries
Community Charity of the Year: The Kent MS Therapy Centre
Children’s Charity of the Year: The Caldecott Foundation
Animal & Environment Charity of the Year: Kent Wildlife Trust
Care Charity of the Year: Domestic Abuse Voluntary Support Service
Start-Up Charity of the Year: Head in the Game
Fundraising Champion of the Year: The Tony Hudgell Foundation
Community Champion of the Year – Maya Amangeldiyeva, Mayas Community Support Centre
Ingenuity in the Charity Sector Award – Lyndsey Stukalov-Stone for her children’s book, Precious Time.
The event could only take place because of the support of its sponsors for without their support these awards would not be possible; thank you, Kreston Reeves, Medway Council, Kent Community Foundation, CAF Bank, AMEY, Brachers, Financial Advice and Services, Fallow Management, Primech Building Services, GrainLNG, Savills and KM Kent online.
Entries for the 2026 awards will be announced in February 2026
