Churchill Awards

The Churchill Retirement Awards are a British awards system to honour excellence among the over-65s. They were set up by retirement housebuilder Churchill Retirement Living in association with The Telegraph in 2012 to demonstrate that older people have a significant role to play in British society and to highlight that these people should be celebrated for their achievements.

The Churchill Awards recognise specific achievements made by individuals in a particular year, with categories including Politics, Business, the Arts and Charity. People aged over 60 who have contributed significantly to society within these categories are awarded as such for their work, either on specific projects or for a general contribution to the sector.

2012 winners

The winners of the 2012 Churchill Awards were determined exclusively by a panel of expert judges. In commending each winner in the various categories, the judges made the following comments:

• Politics: Sir George Young (71) – "For outstanding contribution as Chief Whip of the House of Commons in 2012 at a difficult time following the resignation of his predecessor."

• Business: Sir David Lees (76) – "For the outstanding contribution made to changing the culture at the Bank of England during a time of great flux for the institution."

• The Arts: David Hockney (75) – "For continuing commitment to pushing the boundaries of his art and for the success of the outstanding “A Bigger Picture” exhibition in 2012."

• Entertainment: June Brown (86) – "For truly outstanding commitment to stay at the top of your profession particularly given the intense workload that is required to complete each weekly EastEnders schedule."

• Sport: Sir Henry Cecil (70) – "For the outstanding success in 2012 with Frankel, now arguably the greatest racehorse of all time."

• Literature: Baroness James (92) – "For the success of Death Comes to Pemberley in 2012 but also for a willingness to remain very much in the public eye, projecting a powerful role model for older people."

• Scientific Research: Professor Peter Higgs (83) – "In recognition of the immense importance of the 2012 discovery of the Higgs Boson and the years of dedication and research that have led up to that discovery."

• Promoting Britain: Her Majesty The Queen (87) – "For the tremendous personal contribution made to promoting the UK in the year of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee and of the London Olympic Games."

• Community Award: Commander Eddie Grenfell (93) – "For outstanding work in bringing the role of arctic convoy veterans to the attention of the media and politicians and, as a result of this, to bring about the introduction of the Arctic Star Medal."

• Charity: Tom Harrison (76) – "For outstanding work with Age UK and in particular the support given to the charity in relation to the London Marathon."

2013 winners

• Art: John Byrne
• Business: Sir Timothy Charles Clark
• Literature: Deborah Moggach
• Local Heroes: Ted Taylor, Gillian Watts, and Ron Halls
• Music: Sir Neville Marriner
• Politics: Baroness Trumpington
• Science and Environment: Peter Neal
• Sport: Sir Alex Ferguson
• Stage and Screen: Dame Helen Mirren
• TV and Radio: Sir Nicholas Parsons

2014 winners

• Art: Frances Walker
• Business: John Timpson
• Charity: Lynda Bellingham
• Literature: Michael Morpurgo
• Local Heroes: Lyn Williams, Keith Pellett, and Raymond Brown
• Music: John Rutter
• Politics: Anne Clwyd
• Science and Environment: Lord Rees of Ludlow
• Sport: Brendan Foster
• Stage and Screen: Dame Judi Dench
• TV and Radio: Len Goodman

2015 winners

• Art: Sir Antony Gormley OBE
• Business: Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE
• Charity: Paul Freedman MBE
• Literature: Pat Barker CBE
• Local Heroes: Brenda Hipkin, Brian Holly, and Stan Fitz-Gerald
• Music: Sir Karl Jenkins CBE
• Politics: Harriet Harman MP
• Radio: Sue MacGregor CBE
• Sport: Arsène Wenger OBE
• Stage and Screen: Sir Roger Moore KBE
• TV and Radio: David Dimbleby