Aviation Heroes Awards 2026: Raising £3,300 for Lifelites

We are delighted to announce that the Aviation Heroes Awards 2026, hosted by Aviation Services UK, successfully raised nearly £3,300 to support the vital work of Lifelites.

Celebrating Excellence in Aviation Ground Services

Once again, this year, the Aviation Heroes Awards were held at the prestigious Concorde Conference Centre in Manchester. The event took place beneath the iconic wings of the Concorde, providing a fitting backdrop to celebrate the aviation ground service teams who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep flight operations running smoothly.

It was a truly special night of recognition and community, dedicated to celebrating the unsung heroes of the aviation industry alongside raising funds for assistive and sensory technology for seriously ill children across Britain and Ireland.

Among the highlights of the evening, Hayley from PrimeFlight took home the top prize in the Cosmo competition. Congratulations to her! And a special mention goes to Paul Smith from dnata, who was the lucky winner of the £25 Amazon voucher.

A Huge Thank You to Our Corporate Donors

A huge thank you goes to the incredibly generous companies who donated raffle prizes, making the fundraising possible. This year was another spectacular line up, with prizes ranging from Formula 1 tickets to a spa day experience. The generosity of all who donated is incredible and helps us to continue making the impossible possible.

David Leighton, Chief Executive at Aviation Services UK, said:

“The Aviation Heroes Awards celebrates the achievements of people working in ground services, the unsung heroes of aviation. Helping raise money for an amazing charity like Lifelites makes our unique celebration even more special.  The generosity of our members and partners who donated prizes for our charity raffle and the kindness of all those who purchased tickets on the night shows what an incredible group of people they are.  Aviation Services UK is proud of its partnership with Lifelites, and we look forward to that continuing.”

Supporting Lifelites: How Donations Help

Every pound raised will help Lifelites continue to deliver assistive and sensory technology to seriously ill children across Britain and Ireland. Our life-changing technology opens up a world of communication, creativity, and connection in ways that would otherwise be impossible.

Saskia Norori-McCormac, Senior Engagement and Fundraising Officer at Lifelites, said:

“It was an honour to be part of such an amazing evening, celebrating not only the unsung heroes of Aviation UK, but also the vital work we do here at Lifelites and our continued partnership with the Aviation Heroes Awards. 

Working with David and Gaynor has been a joy, a feeling that continued into the evening seeing how friendly and supportive everyone was. We’re incredibly thankful to everyone who took part in the raffle, helping to raise funds to help make the impossible possible for children and their families across the Britain and Ireland, and of course, to be part of such a special event.”

Congratulations to all the award winners, and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came together to support such a wonderful cause.

If you’re inspired to get involved, either by partnering with us for your event or donating a prize for a future fundraiser, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch at partnerships@lifelites.org or learn more about partnering with Lifelites.