We are thrilled that one of the amazing groups of young people we work with, the Aldershot Army Welfare Service Youth Voice Ambassadors Group, have won the Group Achievement Award in the Hart Youth Achievement Awards 2025!
On Friday 17th October, young changemakers across the district came together for the Hart Youth Achievement Awards Grand Final, all hoping to have their efforts and hard work recognised. Amongst them were our troupe of excited changemakers, the Aldershot Army Welfare Service Youth Voice Ambassadors Group.
They won the Group Achievement Award for their hard work producing a ‘Youth Voice Cookbook’ – a cookery book focused on improving and maintaining good mental health for young people. This exciting project was in partnership with Unloc and funded by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
The Awards are run by the organisation Fleet Phoenix, founded in 2011, they work with young people and their families across the entire Hart district. By using early intervention the organisation help prevent young people from reaching crisis point, helping those vulnerable or in need and in need, benefitting the wider community, and easing pressure on the NHS and crisis services long term.
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The Youth Voice Cookbook serves as a valuable resource to support young people with their mental health and wellbeing, providing a range of recipes that provide comfort and balance, and have mood boosting benefits. All the recipes were chosen and designed by young people themselves. It doesn’t stop there however, the book also includes mood enhancing activities to encourage healthy living and nourish the mind to improve your overall wellbeing.
Recipes include: Lasagne, Spaghetti Carbona, Chicken Enchiladas, Pancakes and Chicken Noodle Soup, as well as Chocolate Brownies, Viennese Biscuits, Cookies and Vanilla Cupcakes (to mention but a few of the tasty dishes inside).
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Dotted throughout also are motivational quotes, puzzles, activities, Sudoku and a crossword. It’s more than just a cookbook – it’s a resource to calm the mind, distract and focus, and provide activities which are calming and take away from panicked thought patterns.
We love to celebrate the strength, creativity, and spirit of young people who are making a real difference in their schools, colleges and communities, using innovation, social action, entrepreneurship and determination to improve the lives of those around them. That’s changemaking in action.
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Larissa Atkins, our Programme Facilitator for Public Sector Partnerships, worked on the project with these passionate young changemakers. Larissa said:
“I’m so pleased they [the Aldershot Army Welfare Service Youth Voice Ambassadors Group] have been acknowledged for all their hard work with this award. It took the group over a year of hard work and planning to bring the cookbook to life, but it is a really beautiful and practical resource for young people that helps with looking after the big picture of our wellbeing – both our bodies and our minds.
It is also a testament to the power of true collaboration as a previous youth group member, who now runs a small arts business, was able to do the graphic design for the finished cookbook. I am always inspired by the positive difference young people are able to make with even a small amount of funding and support.”
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Our Co-Founder and Chief Executive Hayden Taylor said:
“We are so immensely proud of this inspiring young changemakers, taking all that they’ve researched and learned, and working together as a team to create this valuable resource to help other young people like themselves.
From our work around the country in schools and colleges, we recognise the absolute important role that good mental health plays in the lives of young people, and the profound impact that the pandemic had on their wellbeing and ability to navigate the world around them.
This recipe book isn’t just a guide for them to cook easy and delicious meals, it’s a go-to when things get too much, with activities and techniques to help balance their mind and improve their inner state. A massive congratulations to the team for all their hard work and for winning this fantastic award. We are so proud.”
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Charlotte Tickner, Managing Director of Fleet Phoenix said:
“Another fantastic Hart Youth Achievement Awards this year, celebrating and recognising another amazing group of young people. We were so thrilled to be able to share their incredible achievements and stories; they truly are an inspiration to all.
These awards are so special to us and the community, being able to showcase and celebrate local young people and ensure a positive light is shone upon them with all they do and their commitment to be better. It is incredibly inspiring to see not only the winners but all the nominees achievements, we as the awards committee are blown away each year reading about and getting to meet these impressive young people. We hope to be able to continue these awards for many years to come.”
Other inspirational young people who won awards on the night include:
Junior Fundraising Award Winner – Jimmy Cragg
Senior Fundraising Award Winner – Penelope Shadrake
Junior Volunteering Award Winner – Rupert Trevelyan
Senior Volunteering Award Winner – Amber Bradbury
Junior Sports and Arts Award Winner – Hugo Cheng
Senior Sports and Arts Award Winner – Lola-Belle Keetch
Junior Courage Award Winner – Oliver Caton
Senior Courage Award Winner – Isabella Swan
Junior Community Champion Award Winner – Alfie Thorne
Senior Community Champion Award Winner – Macy Bryant
Senior Academic Achievement Award Winner – Aleks Sobczak
Group Achievement Award Winners – AWS Youth Voice Ambassadors Group
Junior Highly Commended Award Winner (Community Champion) – Austin and Natalie Rogers
Junior Highly Commended Award Winner (Courage) – Grace Mason
Highly Commended Award Winner (Group Achievement) – Stagecoach Performing Arts School Fleet
A huge congratulations to all the nominees and winners, such an achievement, and proving, each and every one of you – what young changemakers can be.
Check out their amazing Youth Voice Cookbook below, or click download to save it to your device.
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All of us at Unloc and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are incredibly proud of these young people, and their group effort to write, create, design and produce a valuable resource that matters for the Army Welfare Service. It really showcases the fantastic work young people can do when they combine forces and use each other’s strengths for a combined aim.
Well done to all of you, and we can’t wait to see the inspirational young changemakers that are put forward for next year’s Hart Awards!
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Are you aged 13 – 21 and in Hampshire or the Isle of Wight? You can be a young changemaker too!
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Want to make a difference to health and wellbeing in your community?
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Thanks to the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare Foundation Trust we have five grants of up to £500 up for grabs. We are looking for passionate young people, aged 13-21, who have an idea to help improve health and wellbeing for people in Hampshire & the Isle of Wight.
Whether you are passionate about tackling mental health stigma; fed up with people vaping; love sport and want to get more people active; have your own experience of a health condition or disability and want to help others like you, or just have a great idea to help improve health and wellbeing – we want to hear from you!
If your application is successful you will receive the following support and funding to help you make your idea a reality:
- £500 to spend on making a positive difference to people’s health and wellbeing in Hampshire
- 1:1 support from Unloc to deliver your project
- Access to Unloc’s Portsmouth based office and resource bank
- A chance to share & celebrate your project with NHS decision makers
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Click here to find out more or apply!
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Click here to download the cookbook
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For more information about Fleet Phoenix click here
For more information about the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust click here!
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