Finalists revealed for Control Room Awards celebration of emergency services stars

12th Jun 2023

Finalists have been revealed for acclaimed awards celebrating the immense skill and dedication of the control room community.

The Control Room Awards 2023 recognise the talent, commitment and resilience of individuals and teams working in control rooms.

From police, fire and ambulance services to HM Coastguard and other critical control operations, control room operators and teams across the UK serve and protect the public every day.

Now in their sixth year, the Control Room Awards are the only accolades that recognise the extraordinary contribution to the public and society of these often unseen heroes of the emergency services.

Finalists in the 2023 awards have now been announced, with the winners to be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on July 13, staged at the Leonardo Hotel and Conference Venue, Hinckley Island, Leicestershire.

The finalists were chosen by a high-level judging panel of leaders with vast experience of the control room sector.

From left, Control Room Awards co-founder Mike Isherwood with judges, Detective Inspector Tonya Cook, Duncan Swan and Andy Day. The other judges, Darryl Keen, Matthew Leat and David Topping, took part in the judging remotely.

The judges are:

• Detective Inspector Tonya Cook, Frontline Policing Advisor, College of Policing
• Andy Day, Director of Business Development (Public Safety Group), Sopra Steria
• Darryl Keen, Trustee, British APCO, and former Chief Fire Officer, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
• Matthew Leat, Assistant Chief Coastguard, HM Coastguard
• Duncan Swan, Chief Operating Officer, British APCO
• David Topping, Control Rooms Technical Lead, Home Office

Control Room Awards co-founder Mike Isherwood said: “I would like to thank all our judges for bringing their enormous experience and expertise to the judging process, as well as the organisations they represent for supporting the awards.

“Our excellent judges each provide a really valuable perspective and give added weight to the awards.

“The outstanding quality of the judging panel also recognises the ever-growing profile within the emergency services sector of control room teams and colleagues – and of these awards which celebrate their vital work.

“Congratulations to all our finalists. They can look forward to the awards ceremony, which promises to be an amazing celebration of the control room community.”

Pictured during the judging session, from left, awards co-founder Mike Isherwood, and judges, Detective Inspector Tonya Cook, Andy Day and Duncan Swan. Fellow judges, Darryl Keen, Matthew Leat and David Topping, took part remotely.

For the second year running, European tech leader Sopra Steria is the Major Sponsor of the Control Room Awards, as well as sponsoring the Community Champion Award. Sopra Steria’s STORM command and control system is used by almost 70% of UK police forces.

Andy Day, Director of Business Development (Public Safety Group) at Sopra Steria, said: “Sopra Steria are again thrilled to be the Major Sponsor of the Control Room Awards.

“We have delivered control room solutions for over 25 years and so we are extremely proud to play a role in recognising the phenomenal contributions of control room and contact centre employees.

“Coming from an emergency services control room background myself, I completely appreciate the level of expertise and dedication shown by the people in these frontline roles.

“It has been a privilege and a humbling experience to be part of the judging panel for these awards. I look forward to meeting and congratulating the finalists and winners at the awards evening.”

Other organisations supporting this year’s Control Room Awards include world-leading security technology provider Saab UK; British APCO, the leading UK association for professionals using or deploying public safety technology; and The Emergency Tech Show.

The Control Room Awards 2023 features a new category, The British APCO Control Room Innovation Award. The award will recognise a team or individual who have taken a unique or innovative approach with technology used within the control room.

The finalists for the awards have been announced as:

Bravery and Courage Award

• Keiron Beadle, Kent Police
• Katrina Holmes, West Yorkshire Police
• Maxine White, Humberside Police

Community Champion Award – Sponsored by Sopra Steria

• Katie Grant, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
• Ben Hawkins, East of England Ambulance Service
• Satvinder Shera, West Yorkshire Police

Control Room Ambassador of the Year

• Laura Maxwell, West Mercia Police
• Stacey Poolton, West Mercia Police
• Karen Sandland, Kent Police

Control Room Call Taker of the Year

• Karen Doyle, Humberside Police
• Beth Fennell, Essex Police
• Dolly Shilling, London Fire Brigade

Control Room Dispatcher of the Year – Sponsored by Saab UK

• Tamsin Doar, Dorset Police
• Liam Mattin, Essex Police
• Mark Tullett, Kent Police

John Gilhooly Award

• April Davies, Avon Fire and Rescue Service
• Robert Davis, Kent Police
• Dave Murphy, West Yorkshire Police

Leader of the Year

• Tina Box and Anna Morris, West Mercia Police
• Jen Brearley, National Ambulance Service of Ireland
• Simon Hardware, Kent Police

Lifetime Achievement

• Patricia Crombie, South Western Ambulance Service
• Dave Gale, Lincolnshire Police
• Matthew Wright, Humberside Police

Services to the Public

• Josephine Howells, Humberside Police
• Amber-Louise Tree, Kent Police
• Victoria Wendon, London Ambulance Service

Team of the Year – Sponsored by The Emergency Tech Show

• Kent Police, FCIR Learning and Development Team
• Scottish Ambulance Service, Call Handling Team
• Sharron Thistlewood and Buddy the Wellbeing Dog, West Yorkshire Police

The British APCO Control Room Innovation Award

• Richard Smith, East of England Ambulance Service
• Allan Steele, Lincolnshire Police
• Thomas Stibbards, London Fire Brigade

Young Achiever of the Year

• Tanya Alderman, Kent Police
• Owen Jenkins, London Ambulance Service
• Francesca Kusel-Baum, East of England Ambulance Service

• For more information on the Control Room Awards, visit www.controlroomawards.com. You can also follow the Control Room Awards on Facebook: @controlroomawards; Twitter: @CR_Awards; and LinkedIn: Control Room Awards.