THESE are the brilliant judges for The Sun’s Who Cares Wins awards.
They will decide who comes out on top at our celebration of healthcare heroes next month.
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Next month we will celebrate the best of the nation's healthcare heroes Credit: Getty
They face the daunting task of finding the worthiest winners out of our 2,200 incredible entries across 13 categories.
Those who are selected will be honoured at the London ceremony hosted by Davina McCall and screened by Channel 4. Some of them have first-hand knowledge of the horrors of the Covid pandemic.
The CEO of NHS Charities Together Ellie Orton was at the forefront of the drive to raise money to improve resources for our healthcare workers.
Derek Draper, the husband of GMB host Kate Garraway, spent more than a year in hospital with Covid and she credits the staff’s dedication for keeping him alive.
And Sun columnist Deborah James, who has stage four bowel cancer, knows all too well the important role doctors and nurses play.
Amy Jones and Lizzie Parry introduce our incredible panel and Nigel Railton, the CEO of Camelot, explains why the National Lottery is supporting our awards.
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Gongs mean a Lott
By Nigel Railton, CEO of Camelot, owner of The National Lottery
THE National Lottery is incredibly proud to sponsor The Sun’s Who Cares Wins awards to honour all those who work in the health sector across the UK.
As a nation it’s really important that we come together and thank our incredible health workers for all that they have done.
We see it as the National Lottery’s role to try and make everyone’s life that little bit better. So we are incredibly proud of National Lottery players, retailers and the wider National Lottery family in terms of everything they’ve been doing to help the country through this pandemic.
To date, the National Lottery Distributors have handed out ￡1.2billion – money raised by National Lottery players every time they buy a ticket – to help people across the UK respond to these unprecedented times.
Indeed, since the start of the pandemic, over 9,600 health and wellbeing projects have been supported with National Lottery funding through The National Lottery Community Fund, worth a total of over ￡481million.
But while these big numbers are impressive, there are human stories behind every statistic, and often even quite small sums can make a big difference.
In Northern Ireland for example, the Dungannon Multiple Sclerosis Support Group was awarded ￡10,000 to help them adapt to the challenges faced by many of their members, who were forced to isolate. The funding enabled them to hold online physiotherapy and exercise sessions directly tailored to the needs of the patients.
In London, a ￡9,000 grant has helped the Spread A Smile campaign work across 11 NHS hospitals, providing digital art workshops to entertain terminally-ill children.
I am delighted the National Lottery will shortly announce its very own Local Health Hero as part of The Sun’s awards ceremony.
A big thank you from all of us to all of you.
Meet our judges
Anthony Joshua
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The boxing champ delivered 2,000 items of clothing to a hospital during the pandemic Credit: Getty
DURING the pandemic the boxer, 31, delivered 2,000 items of clothing and protection to Watford General Hospital, where he was born. Anthony said:
“Boxing takes endurance, discipline and dedication but what healthcare workers go through on a day-to-day basis is much harder than what I do in the ring.
“Last year I teamed up with my partner Under Armour to deliver clothing and PPE to Watford General Hospital. I appreciate everything the staff do.”
Kate Garraway
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The GMB host knows better than most how gruelling Covid can be Credit: Getty
THE GMB host’s husband Derek, 54, spent more than a year in hospital with coronavirus. Kate, 54, has used her profile to highlight the dangers of Covid.
She said: “My husband Derek was taken into hospital in March 2020. I watched as nurses and doctors poured love and skill into Derek even though they had no idea whether it was going to work.
"It is because of their dedication that he is alive. It’s why I’m delighted to be a Who Cares Wins judge.”
Penny Lancaster
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Penny has supported Who Cares Wins from the very beginning Credit: Dan Charity - The Sun
MODEL Penny, 50, has supported Who Cares Wins since its launch in 2017 and knows more than ever the importance of frontline workers after joining the police this year.
She said: “It’s always an honour to celebrate our healthcare heroes. I have a new appreciation for them after joining the City of London police as a Special Constable. It can be difficult but rewarding.”
Ellie Orton
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NHS Charities Together CEO Ellie has been at the forefront of the Covid Urgent Appeal Credit: TWITTER/Ellie Orton
THE CEO of NHS Charities Together, Ellie, 47, was at the forefront of the Sun-backed Covid-19 Urgent Appeal, which helped to raise more than ￡150million for the NHS.
She said: “After the last 18 months, these awards are going to be incredibly special. I’m expecting it to be incredibly emotional – not just to have everyone in a room together, but to be able to celebrate key workers.”
Matt Lucas
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The comedian's Baked Potato song helped raise funds for the NHS Credit: Getty
BAKE Off star Matt, 47, helped to raise funds for the NHS by releasing the Baked Potato Song and provided hot food to healthcare workers.
He said: “NHS workers have worked round the clock and risked their lives to keep us safe. But there are lots of people who just quietly get on with keeping the country going, which is why I’m so glad the awards celebrate key workers across the spectrum.”
Deborah James
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Deborah knows first-hand how important our health service is Credit: Oliver Dixon - The Sun
KNOWN as “Bowel Babe” for her frank insight into living with stage four bowel cancer, Sun columnist Deborah, 39, said: “I’m really honoured to be judging the awards. I simply would not be alive now if it wasn’t for the hard work and dedication of NHS staff.
“The thousands of entries and incredible nominees remind us of the dedication of our health heroes.”
Krishnan Guru-Murthy
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Presenter Krishnan grew up around doctors, so he can offer personal insight Credit: Channel 4
BROADCASTING legend Krishnan, 51, grew up around doctors. He will use both his professional and personal insight when judging the awards.
He said: “At 87 years old, my dad must be one of the longest- serving doctors.
“I grew up surrounded by the ethos of the NHS where everybody goes the extra mile, and does it with a kindness money can’t buy.”
Christine Lampard
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Christine has a close friend who worked on the frontline during the pandemic Credit: Darren Fletcher - The Sun
LONG-STANDING Who Cares Wins judge Christine, 42, has a friend who worked on the frontline during the pandemic.
She said: “One of my close family friends is an intensive care medic. To think of the wonderful people like her, who put their lives at risk for us, makes me so proud.
“We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”
Meet the healthcare dream teams that need your vote in The Sun’s Who Cares Wins Awards