Words by Amelia Davis
Listening to our clients and working with charities we have heard all about the difficulties that many veterans can face when leaving service and transitioning to civilian life.
The Veterans Awards provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate the achievements of veterans who have successfully made this transition, as well as reservists, companies and individuals that have gone above and beyond and excelled in their relevant fields.
In 2019 the Veterans Awards were founded by Sean Molino, a former British Army Physical Training Instructor that served within the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. and the awards proudly support both ABF The Soldier’s Charity and the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity. ABF The Soldier’s Charity is the Army’s national charity, providing a lifetime of support to serving soldiers, former soldiers and their immediate families when they are in need.
The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity funds projects and facilities that boost morale for those who serve today, as well as distributing millions of pounds annually to military families of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
The award categories for the English Veterans Awards 2022 were:
- Role Model of the Year
- The Community Award
- Contribution to the English Fitness Industry and Society
- Health and Well-being Award
- Entrepreneur of the Year
- Inspiration of the Year
- Employer of the Year
- Leavers to Leaders Award
- Reservist of the Year
- Volunteer of the Year
- Veterans Business of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement
Hugh James have proudly sponsored the awards since its launch in 2019, and exclusively supported the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award for 2022, which was presented by our Head of the military team, Simon Ellis. This year, the award was won by Henry Waterfield, founder of SpotShip – an innovative company operating in a traditional and outdated maritime industry.
Speaking about her experience attending the event, Amelia Davis, Paralegal in the Military team, said:
“I was given the opportunity to sit alongside Nia-Wyn Evans on the judging panel for the English Veteran’s Awards 2022 and select the winners for three of the categories. It was incredible to hear about the achievements of each of the finalists and to learn about how they have positively impacted the Veteran community.
“Somebody I found particularly inspiring was 99-year-old Jack Hearn, a World War II Military Veteran. Jack has been practicing Judo for 72 years and has recently been made into a 10th Dan, the highest belt held in the UK, making him the oldest ever person in the UK to practice the sport. It was an honour to be able to select Jack as the winner of the ‘Contribution to the English Fitness Industry and Society’ to recognise his dedication to both the sport and the wider Veteran community.
“Without these awards, many of the extraordinary nominees may not receive the recognition they deserve, and I was truly honoured to be involved with this incredible event.”
The final awards ceremony was The English Veterans Awards. Our team has also been lucky enough to attend the Welsh Veterans Awards in Cardiff and the Scottish Veterans Awards in Edinburgh earlier this year.
We are looking forward to attending next year’s events and providing our continued support to Sean Molino with his vision and ambition to grow the event across the UK.
