22 Jun 2026
In this personal blog, Chantel, Recovery Navigator at The Forward Trust, reflects on this year’s Emma Urquhart Cup and the power of friendship, remembrance and recovery.
The Emma Urquhart Cup has become so much more than a football match. It's a day where people come together, put differences aside, and celebrate friendship, recovery, community and remembrance. And Saturday 13 June was exactly one of those days that reminded me exactly why recovery matters
For a few hours, none of us were defined by our pasts. We weren't ex-prisoners, people in recovery, or individuals carrying trauma and loss. We were simply friends coming together to remember someone we loved and to celebrate what recovery can look like.
The football was brilliant, but the real success of the day was seeing people laughing together, sharing memories, creating new ones and supporting one another. What stood out to me most was the atmosphere. There was a genuine sense of warmth and connection throughout the stadium. Everywhere I looked, people were talking, reconnecting and building friendships that may never have happened if recovery hadn't brought them together.
Families, friends, recovery services, volunteers and supporters all stood side by side. That sense of togetherness is something special and difficult to put into words unless you've experienced it yourself. For some people, it was their first opportunity to show just how far they had come in their recovery. I remember those early days myself – that feeling of pride and achievement, knowing you're doing something not only for yourself but something that might inspire and help others too.
Days like this remind me how lucky I am. Recovery has given me friendships that feel more like family. Some of the people at the event have seen me at my very lowest and never gave up on me. To stand alongside them and celebrate everything we've overcome together meant the world.
I know Emma would have loved it. Not because of the football, but because of the people. She loved making people laugh, bringing people together and creating connections. The day felt like a reflection of that spirit.
I'd like to say a huge thank you to Ella for making the event happen. The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is incredible.
Thank you to Reach Out and Recover, The Forward Trust and Margate FC for their support and for providing such fantastic facilities. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, played, donated, supported and attended.
Most of all, thank you to my recovery family, the people who continue to show up for one another, offer support when it's needed most, and prove every day that recovery is possible.
The Emma Urquhart Cup wasn't just about remembering Emma.
It was about celebrating life, friendship, recovery and everything that can happen when people come together with a shared purpose.
For me, that's what the Emma Urquhart Cup is really all about.
