Community impact:
cHANGE MAKER OF THE YEAR

Harry & emma judd

Harry Judd is the drummer of the hugely successful band McFly who are celebrating their 21st Birthday together in 2024.  In that time McFly have achieved seven Top 10 albums, become the youngest band to get a #1 debut album - stealing the accolade from The Beatles - and remain one of the most significant British bands of the 21st Century. 

Harry loves sports, activities and challenges, He recently reported live into BBC Sport whilst running the London Marathon and in 2023 Harry and his mum Emma stole the nation's hearts as they raced from Africa to the Arctic in BBC's BAFTA winning show Celebrity Race Across the World.  

Harry is a much-loved former Strictly Come Dancing winner, regularly presents on The One Show and Magic FM and is the host for BBC Sounds exercise podcast Pacesetter. Alongside his wife Izzy, Harry is an Ambassador for The Children's Trust, the UK's leading charity for children with brain injuries. 

Harry's Mum, Emma, is a retired nurse with three children and six grandchildren. Since taking part in Celebrity Race Across the World with Harry, Emma has found a new zest for life, taking on trips to India, Australia and through France. She is also looking forward to visiting Uzbekistan next year. 

Harry is a Bronze Award holder.

LEADERSHIP:
TRAILBLAZER OF THE YEAR

JASON FOX

Jason Fox is a broadcaster and former Special Forces Sergeant who served in the Special Boat Service for over 20 years.

Co-lead of Channel 4’s award-winning show SAS: Who Dares Wins as well as co-host of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test on FOX TV in the US. 

Presenter and producer of critically acclaimed Channel 4 and Netflix documentaries, including Inside the Real Narcos and Return To Afghanistan. 

Author of Sunday Times bestselling books Battle Scars and Life Under Fire, Jason’s third book Embrace the Chaos came out in April 2024, hitting the top of the bestseller charts. 

Jason embarked on his third UK tour in January 2024, where he discussed his career in the forces and his journey with mental health in which he is a leading figure. 

resilience:
boundary breaker of the year

JODIE Ounsley

Jodie Ounsley is a talented athlete who began her sporting career as a British Jiu-Jitsu champion and went on to become a rising star in the world of rugby. At Exeter Chiefs Women Jodie was known for her incredible speed and agility on the field making her a formidable opponent. Despite facing challenges due to being deaf, Jodie has not let it hold her back and continues to excel in sport. 

Jodie became the first deaf female rugby player to play for a senior England side and the first deaf player to represent on the 7’s stage. Her determination and passion for the game has inspired many, showing that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible. Jodie won the 2020 Deaf Sports Personality of the Year award and, in 2023, was named Honorary President of UK Deaf Sport and included in the prestigious BBC Woman’s Hour  Women in Sport Power List. 

Jodie has just finished filming the second series of Gladiators appearing as alter ego and fan favourite ‘Fury’ and was also part of Channel 4’s Paris 2024 Paralympic reporting line-up. 

exceptional service:
torchbearer of the year

JOn watts

Jon Watts is a professional chef, recipe creator, and influential social media chef. As a teenager, Jon was sentenced to six and a half years in a young offenders’ institute. He was determined not to fall into the vicious cycle of reoffending, so he took on every opportunity he could to learn and develop.

He picked up cooking and was the first person in custody to achieve all three Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. After leaving, he secured a job at one of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants before setting up on his own. Jon has gained national exposure through his social media profile and TV appearances, such as on ITV's This Morning. His debut cookbook, Watts Cooking, was released in 2023 and his latest, Speedy Weeknight Meals, is out now. Away from cooking, Jon uses his story to inspire a range of audiences, from businesses to at-risk young people.

Jon is a Gold Award holder. 

inspirational adult:
lifechanger of the year

Karthi Gnanasegaram 

Karthi Gnanasegaram is a television and radio sports presenter for several of the BBC's flagship shows: BBC News at Ten, BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show, BBC Radio 4's Today programme and has worked as a reporter on the BBC's coverage of Wimbledon, the Olympics, Match of the Day, Football Focus, the Ryder Cup and the Ashes.  

Karthi is also a presenter for the new Sky Sports Tennis channel plus Amazon Prime Video's Premier League and tennis coverage. She hosted shows for IMG's global Premier League channel for a decade and presents on Classic FM while also hosting live events for the Royal Opera House and United Nations Goals House. 

She recently played "herself" in the British comedy drama film, Fisherman's Friends: One and All!  Karthi's two passions in life are sport and classical music. She played the violin and piano to Grade 8 and toured Europe playing the violin with orchestras from the West Midlands.  

As a student, Karthi represented Cambridge University in tennis and badminton as well as playing in various orchestras.  

Karthi is a Silver Award holder.  

teamwork: all-stars of the year

oliver phelps

Oliver Phelps is an actor, traveller and broadcaster. He is best known for playing George Weasley in the Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011 alongside his brother James Phelps, and the duo have continued to work together on other projects. 

In 2022 the first season of their travel programme Fantastic Friends was broadcast, where James and Oliver travelled the globe with spell-binding guests including Evanna Lynch, Bonnie Wright and Maisie Williams, exploring enchanting cities and taking on phenomenal challenges - while managing all kinds of mischief along the way. In series two, they travelled to Chile with Matthew Lewis and took on all four elements that would make up a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.  

Oliver is co-host of a new Food Network & HBO MAX show - Wizards of Baking. 

Oliver has supported the DofE for many years, speaking at previous Gold Award celebration events, attending golf days and in 2021 Oliver was a team captain for the DofE’s ‘Do It 4 Youth’ campaign.