HRH The Princess Royal is to present the prizes at next week’s Maritime Media Awards. The Princess, who will be accompanied to the dinner by her husband Vice-Admiral Timothy Lawrence, will meet the winners of the following five categories at the event due to be held at the Institute of Directors, in London on Wednesday, October 28:
- The Desmond Wettern Media Award for the best journalistic contribution
- The Donald Gosling Award for best television, film or radio contribution
- The Desmond Wettern Fleet Award for best media contribution from HM Ship, submarine, Royal Naval Air Squadron or Royal Marine Unit
- The Mountbatten Maritime Award for best literary contribution
- The Maritime Fellowship Award for an outstanding lifetime contribution in a particular maritime field
Nominations include Sky TV series Ross Kemp: In Search of Pirates, Financial Times journalist Robert Wright, the book A Race too Far by Chris Eakin and the acclaimed ecological film The End of the Line.
In a DVD set to be shown at the dinner First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope will talk about creating wider awareness of the Royal Navy’s role: “The Naval Service enjoys a huge level of public support for what we do, notwithstanding that much of it takes place far away from the UK. I think it’s vital for our sailors and marines, currently deployed around the globe everywhere from Afghanistan to the Atlantic, to know that their wide-ranging contribution to UK security is well understood by the public. The media has a vital role to play in telling that story.”
The Maritime Media Awards were established in 1995 with a single journalism prize presented in memory of Desmond Wettern, one of the most well known and respected naval correspondents of the last century.
Over the years the event has steadily grown to become the largest and most prestigious within the maritime sector, drawing guests from the media, the armed services and the Merchant Navy.
Editors’ Notes
- Desmond Wettern wrote on maritime matters for over 30 years but is probably best known for his role as The Daily Telegraph’s naval correspondent. He was so respected within the service he wrote about that the Royal Navy sent a signal to every ship and naval establishment to inform them of his death in 1991.
- The Maritime Foundation was set up in the early 1980s to promote Britain’s interests across the entire maritime sector. Its purpose is to inform and raise public and parliamentary awareness of the importance of our maritime industries, commerce and defence.
- For further information, please call Ali Kefford on 07775 737062.