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3 May 2022 | Firm News | Article by Simon Ellis

The Scottish Veterans Awards 2022


Members of the Military department recently attended the Scottish Veterans Awards, held at the Village Hotel in Edinburgh, on Wednesday 27 April 2022.

Simon Ellis, Francesca Bamsey, Nia-Wyn Evans, Lloyd Pike, Jack Dickinson, Nadia Cooper, Hannah Baker, Matthew Hale, Nerys Clement and Kirstie Thomas joined the celebrations for this prestigious awards evening, passing on their congratulations to all the inspirational veteran winners and finalists.

Military Department at the Scottish Veterans Awards

The awards are an opportunity to recognise and reward those veterans who have gone above and beyond and excelled in their relevant fields after transitioning from military to civilian life. They recognise our veterans in business, fitness, sport and the wider community. Plus the reservists doing great things, and the communities that support.

The award categories were:

  • Role Model of the Year
  • Inspiration of the Year
  • The Community Award
  • Contribution to the Scottish Fitness Industry and Society
  • Health and Well-being Award
  • Leavers to Leaders Award
  • Entrepreneur of the Year
  • Employer of the Year
  • Veteran Owned Business of the Year
  • Volunteer of the Year
  • Life Achievement
  • Reservist of the Year

The Awards were sponsored by Joint Force Alba and in Support of The ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. Hugh James were also proud sponsors of the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award that was won by Richie Nicoll, Group CEO of GalloGlas Group.

Speaking about his award, Richie Nicoll said:

“I am genuinely lost for words for this one. Being an extremely proud Veteran, I am blown away and very humbled to have been crowned Scottish Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 with GalloGlas Group being named Scottish Veteran Owned Employer of the Year 2022.

“This isn’t however about me. This is about the wonderful team I have at GalloGlas and the work and desire that they put in to make the company work, adapt and move forward to accomplishing our goals.”

We were delighted to present two awards at the event. Simon Ellis presented our sponsored category and Nia-Wyn Evans presented the ‘Role Model of the Year’ award won by Dr David Gillespie, lead Data Scientist at Howden.

Nia-Wyn Evans presenting Dr David Gillespie with "role model of the year" at the Scottish Veterans Awards

Dr David Gillespie said:

“Honestly wasn’t expecting to win last night at the Scottish Veterans Awards CIC. Honoured to be considered the Role Model of the Year, especially with such a high calibre of nominees. Brilliant evening, great company and lots of cash raised.”

The Military department then caught up with Samuel T Reddy, bestselling author of ‘Leavers to Leaders’. He shared his upcoming plans to support Commonwealth Service Leavers and Malcolm Robinson, Editor of Pathfinder International Magazine, of which, Hugh James colleagues have been writing a monthly column for, providing real insight into military claims and financial advice.

It was lovely to be surrounded by old friends and to make new friendships, which we always look forward to doing at these events

In special attendance were the General Officer Scotland Major – General Bill Wright CBE, Pam Gosal Member of the Scottish Parliament and Maj Anthony Gibson Edinburgh Garrison Sergeant Major.

The team were also honoured for the hospitality and extremely grateful to Garrison Sergeant Major Anthony Gibson for giving us a guided tour of Edinburgh Castle earlier that day, kindly arranged for us by ABF The Soldier’s Charity. This was an amazing experience and a special privilege.

the Hugh James Military team

Garrison Sergeant Major Anthony Gibson collected the award on behalf of Hugo Clarke, winner of the Leavers to Leaders award (L2L). The L2L award rewards the outstanding people who go above and beyond the call of duty.

Garrison Sergeant Major Anthony Gibson collecting the Leavers to Leaders award on behalf of Hugo Clarke.

We look forward to continuing to support ABF The Soldier’s Charity and The Veterans Awards in our upcoming fundraising events, such as the London Marathon and supporting the Welsh and English Veterans Awards to be held in Cardiff on 30 June and in Portsmouth on 7 September 2022.

Senior Associate in the Military Department, Francesca Bamsey, said:

“Hugh James have had the incredible opportunity of sponsoring The Veterans Awards since June 2018 and supporting Sean Molino with his vision and ambition to grow the event In England and Scotland. Each year has brought more and more veterans, military organisations and charities together raising awareness and support for the veteran community. This week at the Scottish Veterans Awards felt like a celebration of achievements, exciting opportunities and invaluable experiences.”

Author bio

Simon Ellis is a Partner with Hugh James and has worked with the firm for more than 25 years, having trained and qualified here. Simon heads up the Military Department, advising and assisting current and former military personnel with various health conditions and injuries. He specialises in claims such as hearing loss, non-freezing cold injuries, compartment syndrome and military injury cases. He is often asked to advise on more unusual claims in the military context.

Disclaimer: The information on the Hugh James website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. If you would like to ensure the commentary reflects current legislation, case law or best practice, please contact the blog author.

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