The first ever Services Awards will take place on Wednesday June 28 at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland and the shortlisted nominees have been announced.
Nominations flowed in from all over the UK covering the 7 categories celebrating the ethos of service from armed to emergency to volunteer.
The criteria of the awards stipulated the need for serving personnel, units or veterans who have gone that extra mile in the previous 12 months, be it a sporting challenge, new and original concept or programme, fundraising idea or something out of the ordinary.
The 7 categories covered the most outstanding personnel for the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, NHS, Fire Service, Police and Volunteer Services.
The Services Awards will round off the National Armed Forces & Emergency Services Event series which took place on April 27 and included an Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club laid on by Sunderland AFC and the NAFESE exhibition for forces and services personnel, past and present, featuring 42 exhibitors in total.
See more on the NAFESE event below.
The entire series of events has come together from various elements of forces and services groups including Veterans In Crisis, Sunderland AFC and Pathfinder International magazine. The event series is backed by the University of Sunderland (as Main Sponsor), Stagecoach, Wates Group, The Institute of Supply Chain Management, Sellafield and UK Power Networks.
The Services Awards shortlisted nominees include a Red Arrows pilot commended for landing his aircraft following a bird strike at Rhyl Air Show last summer, a Police Officer mentioned in Parliament for his work on a theft prevention Bill, two firefighters who have rowed the Atlantic, St John Ambulance volunteers saving a life at a football match and an NHS Trust praised for their work with forces veterans.
The shortlisted nominations in full are as follows:
Most Outstanding Royal Navy & Royal Marines
Andrew Terry, Royal Navy Reserves
The Cockleshell 22 Team, Royal Marines Serving Personnel & Veterans
Most Outstanding British Army
Vicky Wales, Walking with the Wounded
Patrick Glennon, Patrick James Solutions
Sgt Thomas, British Army
John Quinn, UK MedCover
Most Outstanding Royal Air Force
Tactical Medical Wing, RAF Brize Norton, Royal Air Force
Sqn Ldr Gregor Ogston, (formerly RAF Red Arrows), RAF Valley
Most Outstanding NHS
High Intensity Service (Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust)
Guy’s & St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust – Armed Forces Programme
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Armed Forces Veterans Team
LCpl Katie Millman, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust/158 Aviation Support Regiment
Most Outstanding Police
PC Clench, Devon & Cornwall Police
Supt Andy Huddleston, Northumbria Police
Sgt Andrew Hynes & PC Zoe Bowers, Essex Police
Most Outstanding Fire Service
Kinnerton Confectionery Ltd
Stu Vince & Craig Sadler, Hampshire Fire Service
Most Outstanding Volunteer
Stephen Harman, SSAFA Dumfries & Stewarty Branch
Graham Lawton, HM Southport Coastguard
Amanda Wadey, Veterans in Crisis Sunderland
Peter Bennett, Declan Dexter & Cadet Myles Donald, St John Ambulance
An overall winner will also be selected from the shortlisted nominees to receive a special presentation on the evening of June 28.
Services Awards Tickets:
Tickets are now on sale for the awards and the evening includes a drinks reception in the Business Lounge at the Stadium of Light, followed by a 3-course luncheon, awards ceremony and entertainment.
The entire evening is hosted by BBC Look North’s Jeff Brown.
Tickets are £65 each or tables of ten are £590 and can be obtained directly from the NAFESE event team by emailing hospitality@nafese2023.com
Watch out for in depth stories of the nominees inside the Armed Forces Day Special Issue of Pathfinder International magazine out in June and available in print and online.
Pathfinder International magazine is official media partner for these events.
Read the May 2023 issue of Pathfinder here!
