The Sandford St Martin Trustees’ Award
Perhaps unsurprising given its name, the Sandford St Martin Trustees’ Award is particularly dear to our trustees. They introduced this prestigious award in 2013 in order to recognise individuals who or broadcasting content, programmes or organisations which have made outstanding contributions to the public understanding of religion, ethics or spirituality. Since the Award was introduced the trustees have chosen to honour a wide range of content-makers or contributors for different reasons. What they all have in common, however, is that the work they have done has contributed to the greater public understanding of religion and how belief and ethics – whether or not you have faith – are embedded in the human experience.
Recipients of the Sandford St Martin Trustees’ Awards or Special Awards are chosen by the Trustees and receive their award at our annual ceremony in front of an audience of peers.
Scroll down this page for more information to find out more about who they are.
2024 Sandford St Martin Trustees’ Award Winner: Tom Holland
This year’s recipient is Tom Holland, in recognition of his contribution to the greater public understanding of religions and their role in contemporary and historical human experience.
Announcing the award, the Sandford St Martin Trustees said: ‘what makes Tom Holland and his work really stand out for us, is that his programmes never shy away from taking religion seriously or from asking how what people believe impacts the world we live in.’
2023 Sandford St Martin Trustees’ Award Winner: Jimmy McGovern
2023’s recipient was renowned screenwriter Jimmy McGovern, awarded in recognition of his commitment to creating challenging, thought-provoking drama that never shies away from exploring belief.
From Brookside and Cracker in the 1990s to drama-documentaries about Hillsborough and Bloody Sunday, or previous Sandford St Martin Award winners Broken (2018) and Time (2022), Jimmy McGovern specialises in moral dilemmas.
Announcing the award, the Sandford St Martin Trustees said: ‘There is arguably no British dramatist who through the brute beauty and valour of his writing has so consistently and successfully captured the complexities of what it is to be a thinking, feeling human being.’
The award will be presented to Jimmy by the actor Ricky Tomlinson as part of a gala ceremony, in front of some of the UK’s best known and most influential broadcasters at Whitworth Hall in Manchester on the evening of 21 June.
Speaking about Jimmy McGovern, Ricky Tomlinson said:
“Jimmy’s an inspiration to the industry. Whatever the subject, he’s never backed down from his responsibility as a storyteller or from giving a voice to the people and community he’s come from. He’s done it with heart and respect, and he’s done Liverpool proud. I’m delighted he’s being recognised by the Sandford St Martin Trust this year – he’s a very worthy winner.”
2022 Sandford St Martin Trustees’ Award Winners
For 2022 the Trustees decided they would like to recognise two recipients whose work demonstrates the instrumental role broadcasting plays in influencing how we see ourselves and how we see others. Both have made the case for more accurate, authentic representations and the breaking down of barriers. They have introduced new stories, amplified marginalised voices and in doing so made valuable contributions to furthering the audiences understanding of how other people live and what they believe. They have opened us up to new ideas, new role models and ultimately shown us how as content-makers we can contribute to a better society and a better world.
They are:
SIR LENNY HENRY: In recognition of his ongoing campaign to address inequality and under-representation in broadcasting. Read more.
and
RUKHSHANA MEDIA: In recognition of the Afghan news organisation’s unwavering commitment to journalism and making Afghan women’s stories heard. Read more.
Joan Bakewell is a true icon of British broadcasting. When she made her television debut in the 1960s, she became the only female presenter of the BBC2 programme Late Night Line-Up. From 1988 to 2000, she presented Heart of the Matter, on BBC1, a programme in which she explored belief and ethics. Since then she has gone on to present the Radio 3 series Belief, and Radio 4’s Inside the Ethics Committee.
An estimated 900 million people around the world were mesmerised by the 2012 Summer Olympic Games’ opening ceremony. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce the artistic showcase which utilised The Clash, Mary Poppins and a special appearance by the Queen to depict Britain’s “isles of wonder” was a hit with audiences. And religion, said Frank Cottrell Boyce, played a central role: “People would not have believed the day before that we would include three traditional Christian hymns” he said. “But Danny and I were both brought up in Catholic families and the Church was part of our childhood”.
The 2013 Sandford St Martin Personal Award went to the retiring Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks for his advocacy not only of the Jewish faith but of the significance of religion, since delivering the Reith Lectures for the BBC in 1990.
