This is a blog by our Communications and Campaigns Manager, Keeva Baxter.
Why me? are delighted that our ‘Right to be heard’ campaign, in partnership with The Common Ground Justice Project has been shortlisted for the Sheila McKechnie Foundation National Campaigner Awards 2026. It is an honour to get this recognition in the ‘Creative Change-maker Award’ category, which “recognises where creative interventions such as visual arts, design and performance have contributed to social change”.
The Right To Be Heard campaign calls for all victims of crime to have the right to explore Restorative Justice – a proven, powerful way to raise victims’ voices, hold perpetrators to account, and cut reoffending. We worked in partnership with the Common Ground Justice Project to lobby the Government to get an amendment to the Victims and Courts Bill, share the voices of lived experience and gain thousands of signatures supporting widened access to Restorative Justice for victims of crime.
Our campaign used the momentum from the play Punch and the powerful story of Jacob, Joan and David to help people understand how transformative the process can be. We have managed to reach Parliamentary debates, Government meetings, television appearances and podcasts, sparking conversations amongst many new audiences. This past year of campaigning has felt different, with the buzz around Punch leading to increased awareness amongst the general public and the opportunity to spread the word in mainstream media.
“When we launched our campaign on a shoestring, we had no idea where it would lead, but thanks to the amazing work of our team, partners and lived experience spokespeople – who so bravely shared their experience with people in power – we achieved far more than we could have imagined. Being shortlisted for this award is brilliant and unexpected recognition for all that hard work.” Sam Boyd, Co-Founder, Common Ground Justice Project
