The first Elysian Awards took place on Saturday 18 April 2026 at G Live in Guildford, honouring twenty Gold Award winners across education, care, therapeutic practice and community services. Comedian Jo Brand hosted, and the room filled with nominees and guests from schools, care homes, city farms and community organisations across the country. There was laughter, there were tears, and there were a great many standing ovations.
We are grateful to everyone who joined us, and to Jo Brand for bringing warmth, wit and heart to the occasion.
Good practice is not defined by systems or labels. It is defined by the difference it makes to the person in front of you.
The Awards were founded by Dr Charlotte Williams to recognise professionals whose work rarely receives the recognition it deserves. People whose impact is measured not in headlines, but in lives changed.