A film made by Staffordshire Women’s Aid has won the Gold Judges Award in the £1m–£2.5m category at the Smiley Charity Film Awards 2026, giving the charity a national spotlight as it marks half a century of work with women and children.
Celebrating 50 Years of Staffordshire Women’s Aid traces the organisation’s story from the 1970s through the 1980s miners’ strikes and the millennium celebrations, using its own history to show how long the need for support has lasted. The charity opened in 1976 and has since provided refuge, counselling and practical help to victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
Charlotte Almond, who spoke for the charity, said staff were “so incredibly proud” that Staffordshire Women’s Aid had been awarded Gold. She called the film a tribute to the women who founded the charity 50 years ago, to those who carried its mission forward and to the women and children who trusted it with their lives. She added that the organisation would be there “for as long as we're needed.”
The film was made with funding from the Santander Foundation and with backing from the Media Trust. The award matters now because the charity’s helpline received more than 2,000 calls in 2025, a reminder that the need behind the film is not historical. It is current, and it is still heavy.
The Smiley Awards are designed to champion films made by charities so they can reach a larger audience, and this win gives Staffordshire Women’s Aid a platform that fits its message. For a charity built on refuge and practical help, the recognition lands alongside the work itself, not apart from it. The film does not just celebrate a past worth remembering; it points to a service that remains in use, and still needed, today.
