Sandford St Martin 2022 Awards Ceremony

A message from our Chair, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon  

“After two years of virtual gatherings, video presentations and remote celebration it was a thrill to welcome guests to Christ Church in Spitalfields. Built between 1714 and 1729 to a design by Nicholas Hawksmoor and standing as it does at the heart of one of the UK’s most vibrant and dynamic communities, we felt this was the ideal location for our first face-to-face awards ceremony after two years of sacrifices and distance. Spitalfields’ story is one of migration and gathering. Huguenots, Jews and Bangladeshis fleeing religious and other persecutions have all found homes here. In the neighbouring streets you’ll find synagogues, mosques and churches of many dominations. These days they’re outnumbered by the pubs, clubs, cafés and artisanal shopping opportunities because Spitalfields is also a place of rebirth and regeneration.   

“For many of us the last couple of years have been exhausting – both physically and emotionally. Here in Spitalfields, surrounded by stories of resilience and hope as well as of hardship and suffering, I’m reminded of how important it is to share stories and of the vital role broadcasters play in bringing those stories to a wider audience. In our increasingly complex world, broadcasting because of its reach remains probably the best way to learn about and come to understand each other, our perspectives, beliefs and values. The finalists and nominees for this year’s Awards do all of that and this year, in particular, they do even more, reflecting as they do just how far we’ve travelled since the last time we were together.”