Hampshire firefighters Craig Sadler and Stu Vince, otherwise known as the Minds Matter team, picked up the first ever Most Outstanding Fire Service award at the National Armed Forces and Emergency Services event.
Craig and Stu were at sea for more than two months raising money and awareness for mental health charity Solent Mind and The Fire Fighters Charity.
The pair faced a huge challenge in rowing across the Atlantic Ocean and being away from their families over Christmas to promote their cause, arriving in Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua back in February.
Watch Manager Craig Sadler said:
“It’s a real honour to be nominated let alone win the award itself, especially when you see some of the other entrants who have all done fantastic work serving their communities and fundraising for charity.
“Rowing the Atlantic was such a huge challenge, one I am extremely proud of and something that I will always remember for the rest of my life.
“There were so many people that got behind us, shared our stories and donated – we could not have done it without them.”
Station Manager Stu Vince said:
“It is nice to be recognised at an event with so many worthy winners and being around lots of incredible people, something I’ll never take for granted after experiencing the isolation of the Atlantic.
“Minds Matter was never about picking up awards, it has always been about raising awareness for mental health and helping to support our charities.
“If we inspired some people to get up and look after one another, even if we inspired one person, it was worth it.”
The Services Awards celebrate and showcase the very best of the Armed Forces and Emergency Services, as well as Volunteers.
The event was held at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland at the end of June.
Awards on the night were presented to recipients from across the police, NHS, British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
The duo were nominated and then shortlisted, coming up against Kinnerton Confectionary Ltd who had supported Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service raising a fantastic amount of money for The Fire Fighter’s Charity.
The oar-some pair set off on their 3000-mile mission from the Canary Islands in mid-December as part of the 2022 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge fleet, and were tested to the limit during the race known as The World’s Toughest Row.
Riding over huge waves, facing total power failure, enduring cold food , navigating by compass and even suffering hallucinations, the pair updated followers at home of the difficulties and loneliness that they felt at sea, not seeing another person or boat for weeks on end.
You can still donate online to support Craig and Stu on their fundraising mission.
