Top honour from SSAFA for Dorset’s Laura

12 July 2024

Laura Lewin, the Regional Operations Manager for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity in South West England, has been presented with the Sir James Gildea Global Award.

SSAFA’s Sir James Gildea Awards were created to recognise the staff – voluntary and paid – for their exceptional contributions and commitment to SSAFA’s activities and values. The awards were presented at SSAFA’s Annual Members’ Meeting in London at the Victory Services Club on July 11 by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, SSAFA’s President.

Laura, originally from London, but now living in Wareham where she settled with her husband after he retired from the Army, is responsible for leading a team delivering support to both clients and volunteers in the area.

As she puts it, Laura has been: “…immersed in service life for nearly 20 years after I met my husband who was serving in the Army at the time, and I saw some of the very real challenges surrounding service life.

“My husband served with the Queen’s Royal Lancers [now part of The Royal Lancers] for 22 years. For 12 of those years we were married, had two children, and moved from posting to posting together.”

Laura explains that her career within Armed Forces charities for the past 12 years is a direct result of the firsthand experiences she has had adding: “I wanted to change my career path and give something back to the community that so deserves our support.

“Having previously worked for two other Armed Forces charities, I had the pleasure of working alongside SSAFA, often referring into the organisation. I saw the great work that SSAFA does and decided that I wanted to be involved.

“I joined as the Serving Community Manager, leading on a short-term project to look at the support provided to the current serving community and how it could be improved. After a short period in that role, I moved into my current role which I have been in for a little over three years.”

Reflecting on her Sir James Gildea Global Award, Laura comments: “I feel honoured to have received this award, especially as I have the pleasure of working alongside so many incredible volunteers and employees who work together to deliver the service to our beneficiaries. I’m extremely grateful to the team I work with in the South West Regional Office who provide exceptional support to volunteers and beneficiaries and without them, this award would not have been possible.”

All at SSAFA send Laura their heartfelt congratulations on receiving her award.