Annual Awards 2023: A review.
Wednesday 14 June 2023
On Friday 9th June the British Dyslexia Association held its Annual Awards 2023 at Drapers' Hall, London.
The event gave the opportunity to highlight the inspiring stories of those who had been nominated by their peers, teachers, families and members of the community.
Hosted by BDA Ambassadors, Ollie Winiberg and Grant Harrold, otherwise known as The Royal Butler, the evening was full of entertainment, a connected feeling of pride and heartfelt accounts of people's experiences of living with dyslexia, dyscalculia and other co-occurring learning differences.
The awards ceremony was officially opened by BDA Chair of the Board of Trustees, Michelle Catterson, who warmly greeted our award nominees and guests and expressed her delight that members of our community could gather to celebrate the amazing achievements of our award winners. Michelle also officially welcomed Chivonne Preston, who was appointed permanent CEO in April.
We were also joined by some familiar faces for the evening including the activist for neurodiversity, Lizzie Acker, who rose to fame after discussing her dyslexia on The Great British Bake Off. Her Royal Highness, Princess Katarina, a staunch advocate for individuals with dyslexia, also joined us to honour our community.
Guests were able to enjoy a three-course meal, the opportunity to mingle and catch up with others from across the sector as well as taking the opportunity to get glammed up and listen to the important stories of others.
BDA CEO, Chivonne Preston said, "For me, it was a great privilege to spend time with so many supporters and campaigners who share our charity’s vision for a dyslexia-friendly society.
The inspirational examples of our award winners and nominees demonstrate the impact it is possible for each of us to have in our communities. It was an honour to be able to recognise and celebrate their achievements with you all."
The evening couldn't have been made possible if it wasn't for all our sponsors, who share our vision for an inclusive society and whose financial support for our work is crucial. We would also like to thank our impressive judging panel who had the difficult task of choosing our award winners from so many impressive nominations.
We look forward to continuing the BDA Awards. If you are interested in keeping up to date with events happening across the organisation you can sign up to our newsletter here.
Photo credits: www.photographytp.com
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Leslie Hill
Marion Welshman Award (Sponsored by Marion Welshman Trust)
Winner: Mahesh Sharma
Outstanding Individual Achievement Award (Sponsored by Boyes Turner)
Winner: Pat Payne
Outstanding Young Person (Sponsored by Cavendish Education)
Winner: William Grimley
Outstanding Child Award (Sponsored by Bruern Abbey School)
Winner: Tianna Byfield
Inspiring Teacher Award
Winner: Clare Clarke
Inspiring SENCO (Sponsored by Touch-type Read and Spell)
Winner: Rachel Murray
Inspiring Teaching Assistant
Winner: Rebecca Booth
Unfortunately Rebecca was unable to attend but her award was accepted on her behalf by Delia Hazel (BDA Trustee)
Community Award
Winner: University of Sheffield SpLD Team
Unfortunately the team were unable to attend - the award was accepted on their behalf by Arran Smith (BDA Vice Chair of Trustees)
Cadogan Award for Resilience (Sponsored by St.David's College)
Winner: Lauren Duffy
Innovation Award (Sponsored by Axiom)
Winner: Sam Gormley (Osaka Labs)