Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE) is celebrating being shortlisted for two categories at the 2026 Third Sector Awards, the most prestigious awards in the UK’s not-for-profit sector. It is a strong acknowledgement of the impact our teams deliver every day and a proud milestone for everyone connected to RBVE.

The Third Sector Awards shine a spotlight on organisations that tackle inequality, empower communities, and transform lives. Judges described this year’s entries as exceptional, reflecting the scale and quality of work taking place across the sector.

RBVE has been shortlisted for Large Charity of the Year and Fundraising Campaign of the Year for The Great Tommy Sleep Out.

Large Charity of the Year

For more than a century, RBVE has supported veterans and people with disabilities to thrive in life, buy creating jobs, providing homes, and building communities so they can build independence. Our social enterprises are national leaders in inclusive employment, with more than 70 percent of our its workforce made up of veterans and people with disabilities. Together, they produce more than 250,000 signs each year for major organisations across the UK, generating £2.4 million in verified social value through disability employment alone.

More than 300 people live in the RBVE Village in Kent, a multigenerational veteran community offering emergency accommodation, accessible flats, family homes, and supported living with care. The Village is closely linked to our employment pathways and Lifeworks courses, which supported more than 1,000 unemployed veterans and families this year, with 80 percent moving into work, training or volunteering within 12 months.

Public support also reached new heights, with more than 17,000 people taking part in the Great Tommy Sleep Out, the highest number in the campaign’s history.

Fundraising Campaign of the Year

The Great Tommy Sleep Out 2026 is RBVE’s flagship fundraising campaign, engaging communities across the UK to raise vital funds for veterans facing homelessness. Fronted by SAS: Who Dares Wins Billy Billingham MBE and co-sponsored by Barratt Redrow and BAE Systems, the campaign inspired more than 17,000 people to sleep out in March, from families and schools to corporates, cadets, and community groups. Participants slept out in gardens, workplaces, beaches, car parks and town squares, creating a truly national movement.

Funds raised will support the expansion of RBVE’s Kent Village, including the Centenary Village development and the UK’s first HMO of its kind for female veterans in crisis. The campaign was delivered in-house by RBVE’s fundraising and marketing team, supported by our social enterprise, which produced and fulfilled thousands of incentive beanies and created paid work for veterans and people with disabilities.

Being shortlisted in two categories is a powerful acknowledgement of the people behind RBVE’s work. Their skill, pride and commitment turn possibility into progress every day.

Lisa Farmer OBE, Chief Executive said: “I am proud that RBVE has been recognised by the Third Sector Awards and even prouder of our teams who make this charity what it is. Their commitment, care and hard work shine through in everything we do. It really is our people who make RBVE special.”