Celebrating 10 Years of the Suffolk Care Awards
Ten years of recognising excellence, celebrating dedication and bringing Suffolk’s care community together
The Suffolk Care Awards have always been about one thing: shining a light on the incredible people who make a difference to the lives of others.
In 2026, we are incredibly proud to celebrate a very special milestone — 10 years of the Suffolk Care Awards.
For a decade, Care Development East has had the privilege of bringing together people from across Suffolk’s social care sector to recognise the dedication, passion, resilience and compassion that so often happens behind the scenes.
And what a decade it has been.
A decade of celebrating the people behind care
Social care is filled with incredible stories. Stories of kindness, determination, courage, creativity and connection. But we know that the sector doesn't always get the recognition or celebration it deserves.
That is why the Suffolk Care Awards matter.
We are proud to give carers, social care staff, volunteers, managers, teams and organisations a chance to be recognised, celebrated and rewarded for the difference they make every single day.
Over the years, we have seen people nominated for going above and beyond, teams achieving extraordinary things together, inspirational leaders creating positive change and everyday heroes making a difference through the smallest acts of kindness.
We've shared laughs, celebrated achievements, heard incredible stories and watched people come together to support and champion one another.
Because the awards are about so much more than a trophy.
They are about connection.
They are about being part of something bigger and special. They are about coming together as individuals, teams and organisations and recognising just how far you've come.
They are about resilience. Strength. Passion. Compassion.
And, sometimes, simply taking a moment to say: “Look what we've achieved.”
Let's take a trip down memory lane...
Over the past 10 years, the Suffolk Care Awards have created countless memories.
From nervous nominees waiting to hear their names called, proud colleagues cheering from the tables and winners celebrating with the people who helped them get there.
There have been spectacular evenings, unexpected surprises, plenty of laughter and, of course, a few happy tears along the way.
We've watched nominees become finalists, finalists become winners and winners continue to make an incredible difference across Suffolk.
We've also been incredibly fortunate to have the support of Suffolk County Council and hundreds of sponsors, partners and supporters throughout the years.
Without that support, the awards simply wouldn't be possible.
Every sponsor, attendee, nominee, finalist, winner, judge, presenter, host, volunteer and supporter has played a part in making the Suffolk Care Awards what they are today.
So, whether you've nominated someone, been nominated yourself, made it to the finalist stage, taken home a trophy, sponsored an award, attended an awards evening or supported us in any way over the past 10 years — thank you.
You are part of our story.
Our biggest year yet
To mark our milestone year, we're making the 2026 Suffolk Care Awards bigger and better than ever.
This year we have 10 award categories — our highest number yet — giving even more individuals, teams and organisations across Suffolk the opportunity to be recognised as a finalist or winner. And this year, we're bringing back something that proved a huge hit — our post-awards disco.
Once the awards are over, the celebration doesn't stop! We'll be giving everyone the chance to let their hair down, celebrate together and dance the night away after what promises to be a truly unforgettable evening.
Blow your own trumpet!
We know there are incredible people and teams across Suffolk's care sector doing amazing things every single day.
So now's the time to blow your own trumpet!
Nominations for the 2026 Suffolk Care Awards are now open.
What makes the Suffolk Care Awards special?
The Suffolk Care Awards are the highlight of the year for Suffolk's social care sector, bringing together care providers, professionals, partners and supporters to celebrate the outstanding work taking place across Suffolk every day.
But after 10 years, we know they have become about something much bigger.
They're about people.
They're about community.
They're about celebrating an industry that supports, cares for and changes lives.
And they're about creating a moment where the people who spend so much of their time caring for others get the opportunity to be cared about, celebrated and applauded themselves.
A huge thank you to our supporters
We are incredibly proud to have Suffolk County Council as our Headline Sponsor for our special 10th Suffolk Care Awards.
We would also like to extend a huge thank you to all of our category sponsors for supporting this year's celebrations.
Our 2026 sponsors include:
- Headline Sponsor: Suffolk County Council
- Registered Manager of the Year: Advantage Angels
- Team of the Year – Large: Advantage Angels
- Team of the Year – Small: Cephas Care
- Dementia Excellence: Ellisons
- Inspirational Leadership: Healthii People
- Everyday Hero: California House
- Wellbeing at Work: Orwell Housing
We are incredibly grateful to every organisation supporting the awards. Your involvement demonstrates a commitment not only to the awards, but to the people and organisations who make Suffolk's social care sector so special.
Keep an eye out over the coming months for sponsor content, where our sponsors will share why they've chosen to support the Suffolk Care Awards and what social care means to them.
The people behind the awards
Of course, an event like this doesn't happen without the people working behind the scenes.
As we celebrate 10 years of the Suffolk Care Awards, we also want to recognise and thank all of the Care Development East colleagues, past and present, who have played a part in bringing these special evenings to life.
From planning and organising, to sponsorship, marketing, communications, judging, logistics and all the little details in between, there is a huge amount of work that happens behind the scenes to make the awards possible.
Over the years, so many CDE colleagues have contributed their time, ideas, creativity, energy and passion to the awards — helping them grow, evolve and become the celebration they are today.
To everyone who has been part of the CDE team and contributed to the Suffolk Care Awards over the past 10 years: thank you.
Your hard work may happen behind the scenes, but it is a huge part of what makes this event so special.
Here's to the next 10 years
As we look back over the past decade, we're incredibly proud of everything the Suffolk Care Awards have become.
But most of all, we're proud of the people.
The people who care. The people who lead. The people who volunteer. The people who support their colleagues. The people who turn up every day and make a difference.
Ten years of recognising excellence.
Ten years of celebrating dedication.
Ten years of bringing people together.
And now, we're ready to celebrate year 10.
If you're joining us this November, we can't wait to celebrate with you.
And if you've been part of our journey at any point over the last 10 years — thank you for being part of something so special.
Here's to the nominees, finalists, winners, sponsors, supporters and everyone who makes Suffolk's care sector extraordinary.