Awards, awards, awards

2018 was a big year for us as we were shortlisted for 3 awards and won 2 of them! ​We were beyond excited to be nominated for the Guardian Award for Innovation in Mental Health Services at the 2018 Advancing Healthcare Awards, and totally beside ourselves when we were shortlisted! We were invited along to the ceremony at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel in London for a swanky 4 course dinner with wine before the awards proper were announced. To say we were all feeling a bit overwhelmed is an understatement as this was unfamiliar territory for us. 

We arrived early so some of us went for a walk round the harbour as much to try and calm our nerves as to enjoy the beautiful scenery while the rest of us sat in luxurious surroundings of the hotel reception and bar. After what felt like a lifetime of waiting we were ushered into waiting area before being shown to our table. Suddenly everything felt real! 

Once we had eaten the award winner announcements began with our category being almost right at the bottom of the list so the wait seemed endless. We had already decided that as our table was in the far reaches of the room, that we were highly unlikely to win so we went about entertaining ourselves as only Nuts can. 

The time had arrived , it was our category up next. 'And the winners are.........May Contain Nuts Theatre Company!'. It was at this point that the realisation that we would have to go up to the stage to receive the Award hit home. We are obviously used to being on stage but this was a different beast entirely, we were having to be ourselves and not  characters that we had created. But we did it! En masse! We had bagged ourselves an award for our work and we were so proud of ourselves, and it meant and still means the world to us that our work is being recognised and that all the time, emotion and  frankly our souls that we put into every second of our work is worthwhile. 

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And the praise came flooding in.......

We were featured in the Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trusts magazine - see link below for full article

​www.hpft.nhs.uk/news/trust-theatre-company-in-watford-wins-mental-health-innovation-award/
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And of course the Guardian -

​https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2018/apr/25/drama-performing-mental-health-may-contain-nuts

As we were shortlisted for the Health Service Journal Award for Mental Health Innovation we were invited to the awards ceremony at the O2 in London, which were hosted by TV personality Sanjeev Bhaskar. We weren't successful in scooping the award for 2018.....but who knows what 2021 will bring!