Reflecting on our 2025 journey – and three very special awards
There are some moments that ask you to pause.
Not the rushed, “I’ll celebrate later” kind of pause – but the kind where you look around the room, see familiar faces smiling back at you, and realise this is exactly why you started.
At the end of 2025, we gathered at the This Girl Can Nottingham 2025 awards dressed up a little more than usual (yes – even our dance shoes got the night off!). We were there simply to represent our community and celebrate the achievements of individuals and organisations doing positive work across the region.We genuinely did not expect to leave holding three awards.
For a few seconds, we didn’t even react. And then came the hugs.
More Than Trophies
While the awards now sit proudly on our shelves, they don’t represent a single evening – they represent people.
They represent each and everyone of you who walked nervously into their first activity and stayed.
They represent the participant who told us they hadn’t felt confident in a group setting for years – but now arrives early so they don’t miss the warm-up.
They represent laughter during dance sessions, improvised rhythms during drumming workshops, and the quiet moments where someone realises they are capable of more than they believed.
Our organisation has always been built on a simple belief:
Creativity changes lives when people feel safe enough to be themselves.
The Journey Through 2025
2025 was a year of growth — not just in numbers, but in connection.
Across the year we:
• welcomed many new participants into our sessions
• expanded our inclusive joyful dance and movement programmes
• developed more collaborative music workshops
• supported individuals working through anxiety, isolation, and low confidence
• celebrated countless personal milestones (many of them invisible to anyone but the person achieving them)
We saw friendships form between people who may never otherwise have met.
We saw confidence grow – not suddenly, but gently, week by week.
And that is the part we are proudest of.
Why Inclusivity Matters
Our sessions are not about being the best, or the most talented. They are about belonging.
Some of our participants live with physical health challenges.
Some experience social anxiety.
Some simply needed a space where they could breathe, move, create and not feel judged.
Through dance, art and music, people discover:
• their bodies are capable
• their voices matter
• their creativity has value
When someone realises they can take part – that moment is powerful.
When they start encouraging others – that is transformative.
This Girl Can Nottingham 2025 Awards Night
We can’t believe it’s already four months since we attended the This Girl Can Nottingham 2025 awards back in November. We opened the awards with our Ages Libre Troupe, who performed their Anansi Inspired Ghanaian carnival dance in the costumes they had made. The troupe then taught the entire audience the exact same dance which resulted in the culmination of a performance by everyone in the room. An achievement within itself.
As with any award event, we never expected to be walking away at the end of the night with even one award. We were instead left speechless as we picked up three awards for the best Physical Activity Group, the Get Out Get Active Inclusion award (awarded to Issy Dickinson) and a Special Recognition Award for Amanda Hose-Hawley, the artistic director of impacd cic.
As we held those awards, it was clear they represented every person who is part of our community. To our participants, volunteers, families, partners and supporters. Without you, there is no programme, no sessions, and certainly no recognition.
The judges saw our work – but we see the real impact every single week.
We see smiles replacing nerves.
We see conversations replacing silence.
We see confidence replacing self-doubt.
Those are the real awards.
A Thank You
To every participant who trusted us enough to attend a first session – thank you.
To our volunteers who bring patience, warmth and kindness into every room – thank you.
To families, carers and supporters who encourage people to keep coming – thank you.
And to our wider community who believes creative wellbeing matters – thank you.
You didn’t just support an organisation in 2025.
You helped people feel stronger, happier and more connected.
Looking Ahead
As we move through March, we’ve started 2026 with the same purpose we began with – creating welcoming, inclusive spaces where people can move, create and grow.
The awards are a celebration of what has already happened. But the real excitement is still ahead.
Because somewhere very soon, someone will walk through our door unsure of themselves…
…and leave knowing they belong.
We cannot wait to meet them.
For more details about the This Girl Can Nottingham 2025 awards, please click here.