Jordan Stephens backs Staffordshire Women’s Aid to Gold Judges Award
jordan stephens appears in a charity film that helped Staffordshire Women’s Aid win the Gold Judges Award in the £1m–£2.5m category at the Smiley Charity Film Awards 2026. The film, Celebrating 50 Years of Staffordshire Women's Aid, turns a 50-year record of support into national recognition the charity can point to in its fundraising and outreach.
Charlotte Almond on the Gold win
Charlotte Almond, the charity’s chief executive, said: "We are so incredibly proud that Staffordshire Women's Aid has been awarded Gold." She also called the film "a tribute to the passionate and dedicated women who established our charity 50 years ago, to the many women who have carried our mission forward and most of all to the brave women and children who have trusted us with their lives."
The award lands with added weight because Staffordshire Women’s Aid opened in 1976 and has been providing refuge, counselling and practical help to victims of domestic and sexual abuse ever since. A win at the Smiley Charity Film Awards puts that work in front of a wider audience than a local campaign usually reaches.
Tinker Taylor and the funding behind it
The film was produced by the female-led company Tinker Taylor, with funding from the Santander Foundation and backing from Media Trust. It explores the experiences of women during the 1980s miners' strikes and the millennium celebrations, which gives the charity’s anniversary film a wider social frame than a standard appeal video.
That approach matters for Staffordshire Women’s Aid because the charity’s helpline received over 2000 calls in 2025, a reminder that the demand for refuge and advice is still there. A film that wins in a higher-value category can do more than decorate a shelf; it can sharpen attention on an organisation still fielding thousands of calls.
What Gold changes for Staffordshire Women’s Aid
For a charity that has spent 50 years working with women and children affected by abuse, the award gives it a national platform built on a specific story rather than a generic cause. Almond’s final line says the organisation wants continuity as much as praise: "For as long as we're needed, we'll always be here."
