Woody’s Lodge honoured with 4 prestigious awards the Welsh Veterans Awards – Gold, Silver and Bronze
June and July have been magnificent months for Woody’s Lodge. Not only did we receive the coveted Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) and expanded our team to take on the Force 4 Energy project – we also excelled at the Black Tie Awards Ceremony by the Welsh Veterans Awards.
Held at the Village Hotel and Leisure Club Cardiff on June 30th, the ceremony was an exciting moment as three of our team members and Woody’s Lodge as a charity were nominated after an intense shortlisting process. Making us proud were Stephen Owen being nominated and winning Silver for Role Model of the year, Mark Hodgkinson being nominated and winning bronze for Inspiration of the year, and Kath Fisher being nominated and winning Gold for The community award.
Woody’s Lodge bags 4 awards
Not only was it an immense honour to be nominated alongside outstanding veteran organisations and community leaders, we also added a string of new awards to our name. Yes, Woody’s Lodge didn’t leave the event empty-handed. In fact, you would need more than a pair of hands to carry away our awards on the night! That’s because we received four awards, picking up two Gold Awards, one Silver Award and one Bronze Award. If we needed any validation that we’re on the right track, this moment was definitely it.
Thank you and congrats to all
According to the Welsh Veterans Awards website, we received this recognition due to the amazing work we do within the community. It is undoubtedly one of our proudest moments, and we would like to thank the Welsh Veterans Awards and the supporters, volunteers and sponsors who made the night a resounding success. We would also like to congratulate all those nominated and those who took home awards. Your passion for helping the veteran community is making a huge difference and has not gone unnoticed.
A lengthy nomination process
To all our team members honoured on the night, this is a tremendous achievement considering the huge amount of applications received. In fact, the Welsh Veterans Awards revealed the shortlisting process was extremely difficult, having received double the amount of applicants than last year!
A black tie evening to remember
The ceremony was a black tie evening hosted by ITV’s very own Andrea Byrne, who filled the venue with electric energy and made those nominated feel appreciated. Drinks were served on arrival, and a gourmet three-course meal followed.
Big names in attendance were Deputy Minister Hannah Blythyn MS, Brigadier Jock Fraser MBE, Brigadier Andrew Dawes CBE and Welsh Veterans Commissioner Col James Phillips. And not forgetting The Regimental Band & Corps of Drums of The Royal Welsh – Royal Navy Reserves, Harry and Grace from MPCT and the Welsh Guards, who showed support in their famous red tunics.
Honourable mentions
Besides Woody’s Lodge walking away with four awards, other notable wins from leaders in the veteran community included:
- Lt Col Anthony Davies OBE receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award
- Monmouthshire Council was the Employer of the Year
- Lisa Rawlings was the Role Model of the Year and the Welsh Veterans Awards Champion for 2022
Making the ceremony possible were sponsors, GHN Property and Developments in support of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity Wales and the Royal Navy Royal Marines Charity.
Woody’s Lodge works tirelessly to help the veteran community in Wales through incredible initiatives and social events. Moments like these – when our team is recognised and appreciated give us wind beneath our wings to keep on going and reach bigger goals. Thank you once again to the Welsh Veterans Awards and all those involved!
Looking for veteran support services in South, North and West Wales? Our team at Woody’s Lodge is here to help. And don’t forget to stay updated with the latest events, news and insider happenings by subscribing to our newsletter.
