On Wednesday 22nd April, the winners of the Friends Families and Travellers Awards 2026 were announced at South East Dance Space, in Brighton.
The evening was a great success – the space was filled with chatter, food and drink were flowing, and Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and nomadic people came together from all over the country to celebrate one another’s sheer commitment, incredible perseverance and accomplishments, both as individuals and as wider communities.
We’re grateful to South East Dance Space for letting us host the awards in their brilliant space.
Every nomination was inspiring in its own right, and had an immeasurable impact on those around them through their work. The judging panel had a difficult task and grappled for days when choosing just one winner per category, with well over 100 nominees.
Those that were shortlisted demonstrated a zeal for enriching the lives of their own communities and wider society, and the celebratory cheers in support of each individual or project filled the room with warmth.
All of us at FFT are proud of every single person that took part in the Friends, Families and Travellers Awards 2026, from the winners, to the nominees, to the attendees. The event could not have happened were it not for each and every one of you!
Without further ado, here are the winners:
Inspirational Young Person Award
Winner: Vlad Balaz
Vlad is a young Roma leader, entrepreneur and founder of Bengoro Martial Arts, recognised for his resilience, vision and commitment to uplifting his community. Vlad came to the UK at just 9 years old with his parents, brother and two sisters.
Growing up in Bradford, he found purpose through combat sports, joining local MMA gyms and developing a deep passion from a young age. His breakthrough came through Connecting Roma, who recognised his potential and invested in his journey.
Vlad then went on to become CEO of Bengoro Martial Arts—now delivering some of the largest Roma-led combat sports events in the UK, with his third major event on the horizon.
Runners up: Star Smith and Lilah-Grace McShane
Education Award
Winner: Janna Elliot
Janna Elliot is a Roma writer, dancer, translator, and activist. She is best known for her fictionalised account of Settela Steinback’s story, ‘Settela’s Last Road’, which humanises the Romani Genocide.
Settela was first identified by Dutch journalist Aad Wagenaar who went on to write a book about her. Janna heard of the book which was only published in Dutch and had gone out of print. Janna set off to Europe to find Aard to get a copy of the book, eventually she found him and took it upon herself to learn Dutch and translate the book herself.
She manged to get it printed but went on to write her own fictionalised account to make the story personal and accessible particularly for young readers.
Runners up: Spyros Themelis and Charlotte James
Sporting Excellence Award
Winner: Konnie-Grace Sowerby
Konnie-Grace was the youngest WBC world champion at age 18. She’s won multiple titles and trains a youth team from her family land. Gypsy and Traveller women rarely go into these roles and it’s trailblazing to see a young Traveller woman succeed in a male dominated sport. She trains with her Traveller family rather than a formal gym and she’s truly inspiring.
Runners up: Les Stevens and Andy Stevens
Inspiring Project Award
Winner: Bradford Women’s Group
The Bradford Women’s group was set up by a group of passionate, hardworking and determined women to improve conditions on their caravan site at Mary Street in Bradford.
Most of the women lived on the site or in the area and had done for a long time, and knew the adverse effects on them and their families of living on Mary Street – asthma, illness and isolation to name just a few. But they also knew family, pride and strength over many generations and wanted to ensure it carried on by bringing a group together to enjoy activities, learn new skills and improve health and wellbeing.
At first the group was small in terms of numbers of participants who met in local cafes and a small community centre. The group suggested running the sessions alongside the youth sessions so that the women could have separate spaces. The group has grown from strength to strength and has a cohort of around 10-15 women.
Runners up: Bernie Corcoran and Kushti Bok
Arts, Culture and Heritage Award
Winner: Write Into Culture
Write Into Culture: was founded in early 2023, born from a longstanding dream of Dee Cooper—to create a safe, supportive space where Gypsy, Roma and Traveller women could finally tell their own stories, rather than having them told for them.
The group quickly became a place where women could write freely, share their truths, and be understood without explanation. For the first time, group members were able to tell our stories among others who truly recognised them, because
we shared so much in common.
It became a place to honour family and culture, while beginning to heal from generations of trauma. It was, and continues to be, the space that was always needed.
Runners up: Percy Henderson and Jacky McShane
Alexander Award for Lifetime Achievement:
Winner: Maggie Bendell Smith BEM
Maggie has spent years trying to obtain planning permission for hundreds of Gypsy and Traveller families to live on site. She was also active in the Traveller Law Reform Coalition.
Maggie has dedicated her life to campaigning and is the recipient of a British Empire Medal for her work and is the author of Our Forgotten Years, which has also been published as Rabbit Stew and a Penny or Two.
Runners up: Betty Gorman and Janna Elliot
We also presented the Courage Award, which is a special award which receives no nominations. It is given to exceptional individuals who show courage, bravery and determination in the face of adversity.
This year, the Courage Award was awarded to Wendy Smith, a Romany Gypsy woman from York, who joined Friends, Families and Travellers and Liberty to challenge the government’s discriminatory Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (PCSC).
Wendy’s legal victory led to the government reverting the 12-month area ban for Gypsies and Travellers (who intend to reside), back to 3-months.
Notes for Editor
About Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT)
Friends, Families and Travellers is a leading national charity that works to end racism and discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people and to protect the right to pursue a nomadic way of life.
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Additional Resources
‘Friends Families and Travellers Awards 2026: Here’s the Shortlist!’. Friends, Families and Travellers. January 2026. View.
