Celebrating Forces Families Awards Finalists 2023: Small Business Award

Join the Celebrating Forces Families (CFF) Awards Team in congratulating its four amazing finalists for the Small Business Award. The winner will be announced at a celebrity-presented Awards evening in London on 28th April.

This Award is for a military family member who has set up their own business due to the nature of a mobile lifestyle in the Armed Forces and made it the best it can be, no matter what size.

The finalists are:

·         Jo Lomax – Huggable Heroes®️

·         Jodie Woods - Baby Sensory and Toddler Sense West Dunbartonshire

·         Shanae Argent – Tactical Paws Ltd

·         Elisabeth Cane – LC Sports Massage Therapy

Jo Lomax – Huggable Heroes®️

Huggable Heroes®️ is a company that creates handmade soft toys with photos of loved ones to support families dealing with separation due to military service. Jo, the Founder, has worked tirelessly to ensure that every family who needs a Huggable Hero receives one, even finding ways to donate to charities and keep costs low. The toys provide comfort to children dealing with bereavement, separation and other difficult situations.

Jo Lomax

Jo says:

“I feel so proud Huggable Heroes®️ has been nominated for this award, every day we talk to families who are desperately struggling with separation from a loved one and need a Huggable Hero to help ease the pain. After nine years of hand making each one with a huge amount of love, our hearts still feel so full to hear how one of our heroes has transformed a heartbreaking situation for a family simply because their loved one is still with them in Huggable Hero form. Thank you for making us at HH a finalist. Jo x.”

Watch a short 33 second video clip from Jo on Huggable Heroes.

Jodie Woods – Baby Sensory and Toddler Sense

Baby Sensory and Toddler Sense West Dunbartonshire, run by Jodie Woods, offers structured classes to aid young children's development. She uses her business to promote awareness of sepsis and raise thousands for various charities, and her classes provide a great opportunity for parents to socialise, reducing isolation.

Jodie Woods

Jodie says:

“It is an incredible honour and very overwhelming that someone took precious time out of their day to nominate me.”

Shanae Argent – Tactical Paws Ltd

Tactical Paws Ltd, based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was founded by Shanae to support the RAF community by providing pet care services. Shanae goes above and beyond to ensure that the pets and their owners' personal needs are met. She uses her experience working in a vet practice to give a personalised service to every pet in her care. The business has quickly gained popularity and is highly valued by the military families it serves.

Shanae Argent

Shanae adds:

“I am completely amazed! I started my business almost two years ago and the support my community has given me brings tears to my eyes. I am so grateful!“

Elisabeth Cane – LC Sports Massage Therapy

LC Sports Massage Therapy in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, was set up in 2010 to provide massage and rehabilitation treatments to support Service personnel. Elisabeth committed to trauma-informed veteran-aware training to better serve her military and veteran clients. LC Sports Massage Therapy also partners with AWS and Community Covenant to provide fully funded baby massage and toddler yoga classes for the military community to combat isolation.

Elisabeth Cane

Elisabeth adds:

“It's amazing to be recognised as a small business, juggling the challenges that come with being a military spouse. I am honoured to be a finalist, thank you.“

Watch a short 35 second video clip from Elisabeth.

Joint Small Business Award sponsors are X-Forces Enterprise (XFE) and the Supporting the Unsung Hero Programme (SUH). Collectively Ren Kapur MBE, XFE CEO, and Sarah Walker, from SUH add the following:

“We feel privileged to support so many inspiring individuals to start and grow their business and this award recognises the determination, skills and resourcefulness of those within our Armed Forces community. Both XFE and SUH work hard to collaborate and make sure the breadth of what we can jointly offer meets as many needs in the community as possible. We are honoured to sponsor the Small Business Award category together.”

The Awards evening

Friday 28th April 2023 will see a formal dinner and awards ceremony held at the Victory Services Club, London. The Awards are supported by the Ministry of Defence through its Partner Employment Working Group.

Actor and SSAFA Ambassador, Antony Cotton is returning as guest presenter at the Awards. This year he is also joined by actress and TV presenter Kym Marsh.

Watch on livestream

The BFBS Live Events Team will be livestreaming the Awards. If you aren’t able to be at the Awards, you can still join virtually for free! Simply register online and then make sure you have the date in your diary to plan your evening however you wish to celebrate with everyone.

Follow the CFF Team as the 2023 events unfold:

·         Twitter: @CFFAwards

·         Facebook: @CelebratingForcesFamilies

·         Insta: @celebratingforcesfamilies