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Sarah Gardner BEM BCAv: Celebrating 5 Years of Best Businesswoman Awards recognition
Award-winning charity founder and business leader Sarah Gardner BEM is marking two major milestones in 2025: the 5½-year anniversary of her flagship charity, Serving Our Superheroes, and her fifth consecutive year of recognition at the prestigious Best Businesswoman Awards.
From a Laundry Bag to a £4.5M Movement
Founded in April 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and registered as a charity in September 2020, Serving Our Superheroes began by providing laundry bags to NHS staff to protect their families from cross-contamination. Since then, the charity has grown into an international movement. In 5½ years, it has delivered more than 194,000 essential items valued at over £4.5 million, supporting hospitals, care homes, asylum seekers, domestic abuse survivors, homeless communities, and families in crisis.
Sarah said: “What began as a simple act of kindness has become a powerful movement of compassion and inclusion. Reaching this milestone is a tribute to the incredible volunteers, partners, and supporters who make our mission possible.”
Best Businesswoman Awards — Five Years of Recognition
Sarah is also celebrating her fifth consecutive year of success at the Best Businesswoman
Awards, one of the UK’s most prestigious recognitions for female entrepreneurs. Her achievements include:
• Silver – Charity Champion (2021)
• Silver – Charity Champion (2022)
• Silver – Charity Champion (2023)
• Silver – Charity Champion (2024)
• Silver – Most Inspiring Businesswoman (2024)
• Special Recognition Award (2024)
• Silver – Charity Champion (2025)
The 2025 Awards took place on Friday 10 October, where Sarah received Silver for Charity Champion for Serving Our Superheroes. She will also be honoured with the Green Apple Environment Award on 17 November 2025.
“It’s a privilege to be recognised again,” Sarah said. “These awards celebrate the strength and impact of women in business. For me, it’s proof that purpose and performance can thrive together.”
A Record of Excellence: 48 Awards and Counting
Sarah has now received 48 national and international awards, including the British Empire Medal (BEM), British Citizen Award, League of Mercy Award, multiple Stevie® and Globee® Awards, and the UCLan Alumni Achievement Award. In 2022, she was also named Chartered Manager of the Year by succeeds Tracy Aust, who retires after 27 years. Aust said: “It’s not the Ofsted Outstanding that means the most to me — it’s providing an Outstanding Student Experience for each student.” www.west-thames.ac.uk the Chartered Management Institute, making her one of the UK’s most celebrated charity leaders.
West Thames College is proud to be a patron of West London Chambers, who very much enjoy their office space in Spring Grove House and the use of the impressive meeting rooms.
Leadership Beyond One Charity
Beyond Serving Our Superheroes, Sarah has founded CHEF (Community Health Education Foodbox) and Well-being for All, and co-founded Project 90/10 with EmmaJane Taylor. She also continues to support other organisations through mentoring and community initiatives.
Donations remain vital to sustain this lifechanging work:
Donate at: www.servingoursuperheroes.com/donate Together, we can ensure no one is left without essentials — and that every person feels valued, respected, and supported.
“Sarah Jane is known to our team as Super Woman. She has so much energy and does so much for the community. West London Chambers is proud to number her amongst our membership.”
Sally Smith - COO West London Chambers
