ACCT UK 2023 Excellence Awards – 14th June 2024 at Carpenters’ Hall.

The annual ACCT UK Excellence Awards were presented by our Guest of Honour, Jordan Wylie MBE, National Army Cadet Ambassador, on June 14th at Carpenters’ Hall. It was a heartwarming and celebratory event, recognising the outstanding achievements of Army Cadet Force (ACF) cadets and adult volunteers in 2023. It was a privilege to have special guest WO2 Johnson Beharry VC, who presented the King’s Birthday Parade tickets. We are immensely proud of them and extend our gratitude to our donors, BAE Systems, Horiba-Mira, and Ammo & Co, for their support.

We also take pride in the ACF, as these awards highlight the crucial role the ACF plays in fostering the development of young people across the UK. ACCT UK established these awards to honour the accomplishments of cadets and adult volunteers in the core non-military aspects of the ACF’s training syllabus, which contribute to the broader cadet experience. By sharing these inspiring stories, we aim to encourage the ACF community to continue their excellent work and demonstrate to society that the ACF is a remarkable organisation driving positive change.

The awards recognise achievements in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, First Aid, Music, Sport, and Community Service. These activities help develop essential skills and qualities such as self-confidence, self-discipline, teamwork, and resilience, and they also enhance the training syllabus by providing cadets with nationally recognised qualifications.

“ACCT UK’s trustees have long felt that the non-military elements of the cadet training syllabus are so important to cadets because they add breadth to the training syllabus, give cadets nationally recognised qualifications and provide cadets with valuable skills that benefit our society.”

“Yet running these activities in the ACF is not easy in our busy modern world because the remarkable band of adult volunteers already give so much of themselves in time and commitment. It could be tempting to reduce the priority of these activities in the list of things they could do. So, it takes drive and determination to keep them going. These activities are so important, which is why ACCT UK actively promotes them and we are enormously grateful to BAE Systems for enabling us to do so by recognising cadets and adult volunteers who have achieved excellence in these activities.”

Murdo Urquhart, Chief Executive

For the first time this year, we celebrated fundraising efforts supported by Horiba-Mira. Cadets and adult volunteers dedicated themselves to fundraising for ACCT UK, their own charity, as part of our Cadet Challenge 2023. We were delighted with the overwhelming response, as individuals from counties and detachments across the UK came together to support this meaningful cause.

The Army Cadet Force community consistently goes above and beyond, dedicating themselves selflessly without seeking recognition. As the ACF’s charity, we strive to ensure their inspiring stories are heard and that the ACF receives the acknowledgment it deserves as a powerful force for positive change in society. Each award winner’s recognition is a testament to their personal character and dedication.

We extend our deepest thanks to BAE Systems, Ammo & Co, and Horiba-Mira for their support in making our awards ceremony possible. Their generous contributions allow us to celebrate the achievements of our award recipients and acknowledge their hard work and dedication. Thank you for helping us recognise excellence within the Army Cadet Force (ACF) and for creating a memorable event!

Richard Pye, attended the ACCT UK Excellence Awards, on behalf of BAE Systems. Awards were received by winners in categories such as the Duke of Edinburgh, First Aid, Music, and Sports.

Thank you to Darren Arris and AMMO & COMPANY LTD. for supporting the Community Service Awards.

This year, we introduced Fundraising Awards for the first time at our Excellence Awards. We extend our gratitude to Mark Rogers and Richard Batho, who attended on behalf of HORIBA MIRA, for supporting these Fundraising Awards.

Among the attendees that day were the fortunate recipients of tickets to the King’s Birthday Parade, held on June 15th. The parade tickets were awarded by WO2 Johnson Beharry VC. ACCT UK wanted to express gratitude to the cadets and adult volunteers of the ACF. Having secured five pairs of tickets, we organised a prize draw, inviting the ACF community to nominate cadets and adult volunteers who had accomplished something special or extraordinary deserving of recognition.