THE British Forces Foundation was a winner at this year’s prestigious Charity Times Awards in London. Director Mark Cann scooped the coveted Charity Principal of the Year Award at the special ceremony in The Royal Lancaster Hotel.

Speaking about the BFF, the judges said: “They have shown great leadership in presenting effectively to the public the message of being proud of the work of our troops in the face of an unpopular war in Iraq.”

The announcement, which came as a complete surprise to the BFF team, was greeted by the loudest cheers of the night. Mark Cann went up to the stage to collect the award from celebrity speaker, comedian Fred MacAuley.

Other nominees for Charity Principal of the Year included Georgie Fienbery of AfriKids, Pamela Goldberg of Breast Cancer Campaign, Dame Jo Williams of Mencap, Farida Anderson of Partners of Prisoners and Families Support Group (POPS) and John Barrick of The Stroke Association.