The King’s Foundation inaugural awards presented at St James’s palace in the presence of his majesty The King

Tuesday 11th June, his Majesty The King, Royal Founding President today attended The King’s Foundation’s inaugural Awards ceremony held at St James’s Palace, London.

The Awards are set to become a regular opportunity to recognise and celebrate the work of The King’s Foundation and its wider impact. The ceremony was attended by 250 guests including nominees, their families and guests, celebrity ambassadors and notable supporters and friends of the Foundation. Ambassadors who attended the event included David Beckham, Alan Titchmarsh, Sarah Beeny and Patrick Grant.

Guests were entertained by pipers from the National Piper Centre and the Rock Choir who are based in Tetbury and regularly perform at Highgrove Gardens.

Awards were presented in the following categories:

Innovation in Practice Award presented by Raymond Blanc

Awarded to an individual or organisation which has adopted a groundbreaking approach to embedding nature-inspired solutions in practice.

Winner: Ambulance for Monuments

The Ambulance for Monuments was born of a very simple idea: a series of lorries, furnished with the appropriate tools, roaming the Romanian countryside, training and calling on the aid of local people to repair historic buildings. This programme has forged a new and dynamic community throughout Romania that calls attention to historic buildings in varying states of disrepair and plans exciting projects for the future. The programme’s goal is to inspire a fledgling generation of architects and craftspeople to take up responsibility for the fate of Romania’s historic buildings, and have the wherewithal to be able to achieve this.

The Teaching Award presented by Sir Rod Stewart and Lady Penny Lancaster

Awarded to an individual who has passed on knowledge and/or skills through the generations.

Winner: David Cranswick

David is an accomplished and award-winning artist with a doctorate in Fine Art from the Royal Academy of Art, London. He is currently writing a book on traditional painting techniques and their underlying craft practices as expressed through the Alchemical tradition and has been in residence at our centre in AlUla in Saudi Arabia for part of the study of this. David is a tutor in traditional painting materials and techniques at The King’s Foundation’s School of Traditional Arts in London and at our international centres.

Emerging Talent Award presented by David Beckham

Awarded to an individual who has shown exceptional talent and commitment while on a King’s Foundation programme.

Winner: Kadijah Dumbuya

Kadijah is a graduate of The King’s Foundation’s Diploma Year, a course in fine and applied arts for school graduates before they apply to college or university. A recipient of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation Scholarship, she has displayed determination to learn and improve on her skills. Her recent work has drawn inspiration from west African sculpture, exploring how portraiture is influenced by the physical environment and culture that surrounds it. Kadijah has secured a place at The Ruskin, Oxford University, to study Fine Art – a testament to the skill and potential she has shown during her time on the programme.

Young Entrepreneur Award presented by Sienna Miller

Awarded to a KF alumni who has developed/grown their business.

Winner: Isabelle Pennington-Edmead

Isabelle is a graduate of The King’s Foundation’s Modern Artisan programme as well as Fashion at Nottingham Trent University and with a Masters in Textiles from Manchester School of Art. She feels passionately about sustainable and regenerative fashion, interests she demonstrated clearly while excelling on the Modern Artisan programme. Her eponymous label’s focus on sustainable fashion, place-based approach to design and supporting her local community align well with The King’s Foundation’s vision. Her brand has been thriving and continuing to grow and is a wonderful example of not only her skill and dedication but of the impact that programmes such as the Modern Artisan programme can have in progressing careers within the sector.

International Impact Award presented by Edward Enninful and Naomi Campbell

Awarded to an individual or organisation which has had a significant impact internationally through support for education and training.

Winner: The Rose Town Foundation for the Built Environment, Jamaica

Rose Town was a successful working community until the 1980s, when it was decimated by abandonment and violence in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica. Following a visit to Kingston by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, RTFBE was founded in 2008 by concerned individuals and local people and has received support from The King’s Foundation to establish a community-led vision and masterplan for regeneration of Rose Town, including several key construction projects. Since its inception, the RTFBE has demonstrated tenacity and determination in facing the wide range of challenges inevitably involved in a complex inner-city area such as Rose Town.

Advocate of the Year presented by Patrick Grant

Awarded to an individual who has gone above and beyond to promote the philosophy of Harmony during the year.

Winner: Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty

Jamie is a well-known TV chef with global recognition, while Jimmy is a zoology graduate with a PHD in entomology and currently serves as vice-president of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Jamie and Jimmy have successful solo and joint TV careers promoting and celebrating engagement with nature, sustainably sourced food, and a love of cooking. They have been instrumental in promoting harmony with nature and have helped to elevate the profile of The King’s Foundation Food For The Future programme, ensuring the content is relevant and influential in helping young people tackle the issue of food waste.

Corporate Champion presented by Sarah Beeny

Awarded to an organisation which has consistently demonstrated a commitment to embedding Harmony principles in its activities.

Winner: Octopus Energy

Octopus Energy uses 100% renewable electricity and customers have a carbon footprint of 0. They set a net-zero target for 2030 and have achieved 20% absolute emissions reduction in their supply chain. The company’s Renewables Infrastructure Trust reports that it has committed £1.1billiion funding to renewables with an estimated 384,000 homes to be powered by clean energy and 400,000 estimated tonnes of carbon avoided once fully operational. Announced at COP28, Octopus Energy’s generation collaboration and project with Sherbo Alliance Partners (SAP) will help realise a first-of-its-kind renewables project built in Sierra Leone.

Partnership of the Year presented by Alan Titchmarsh

Awarded to an organisation which has gone above and beyond to partner with the KF during the year.

Winner: University College of Estate Management

UCEM have been a longstanding and proactive partner of The King’s Foundation, partnering on research, developing the Poundbury Series (their most popular online course) and turning the Rapid Planning Toolkit into an educational resource.

In a first Knowledge Transfer Partnership for both organisations, as a spin-off from the Building a Legacy workshops on building towards net-zero carbon homes, they have established digital and physical regional building hubs to help SME builders with funding, building solutions and supply chains. This initiative has attracted a steering group of ten industry leaders and is expected to deliver significant impact in this sector.

The King Charles III Harmony Award presented by His Majesty The King

A special award given to an individual to recognize long-term outstanding commitment to, and support for, The King’s Foundation OR The King’s philosophy more generally.

Winner: Ban Ki-moon

Ban Ki-moon is a South Korean diplomat and former foreign minister who served as the eighth Secretary General of the United Nations from January 2007 to December 2016. Throughout his career, he has worked to mobilise international efforts towards addressing issues such as climate change, sustainable development, poverty and inequality, seeking to make the world safer and more equitable.

In his United Nations role, Ban Ki-Moon was – and remains – a tireless advocate for driving international collaboration and action. He played a significant role in securing the Paris Climate Agreement and in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals and was a strong advocate for the creation of UN Women.

These themes remain a focus of his work across the globe, serving in a number of key roles including currently as the Deputy Chair of The Elders. In 2017, he founded the Ban Ki-Moon Centre for Global Citizens and he is the Co-Chair of the Global Centre on Adaptation. He was recently awarded the Bynum Tudor Fellowship at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, with whom the King’s Foundation have had a long-standing partnership.

It is clear in his work both as the Secretary General and in his ongoing efforts at creating meaningful change across the world, that underpinning Ban Ki-Moon’s work is a recognition of the interconnected nature of these challenges. Resonating with the work of The King’s Foundation is his sense that working to create lasting change in one area requires a more harmonious approach to creating a sustainable relationship between people, planet and place on a local and global scale.

Kristina Murrin, CEO of The King’s Foundation, said:

“What an honour to celebrate our first ever Awards event with our Royal Founding President, His Majesty The King.

“We are so proud of the work we do at the Foundation and to celebrate our amazing students, alumni and charity partners at the beautiful St James’s Palace was very special.

"From our education courses in traditional arts and craft skills, to our placemaking projects both at home and abroad, our winners are all fantastic examples of the difference The King’s Foundation makes in peoples’ lives and communities. Congratulations to them all.”