Inspire

Judges

Martin Johnson CBE

Martin Johnson CBE

Patron

JHMT

Martin is an English former rugby union player who represented and captained England and Leicester. He is mostly known for captaining England to victory in the World Cup in 2003. He became the new England team manager on 1 July 2008, replacing the previous manager Brian Ashton. He is regarded as one of the greatest locks to have ever played. He toured three times with the British and Irish Lions, becoming the only man to have captained them on two separate tours. He also led his club Leicester Tigers to consecutive Heineken Cup victories and won the league six times. Despite no coaching experience, he was appointed team manager of the national England rugby union side in April 2008, but left the post in November 2011.

He was awarded the CBE in the 2004 New Year honours and was second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards behind Jonny Wilkinson. Johnson's testimonial match and farewell to competitive rugby, held at Twickenham on 4 June 2005, was one of the biggest rugby events of the year. It was historic in another way as the match marked the return of All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu after a recent kidney transplant. Johnson's XV defeated Lomu's 33-29. All proceeds from the match went to children's and cancer charities.

On 24 October 2011, at the IRB Awards in Auckland, Johnson was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame alongside all other Rugby World Cup-winning captains and head coaches from the tournament's inception in 1987 through 2007 (minus the previously inducted John Eales).

Chris Edwards

Chris Edwards

Bass Player

Kasabian

Chris Edwards is the bass player for Kasabian, an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997. The band's original members consisted of vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Christopher Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. The band's line-up was completed by drummer Ian Matthews in 2004 after a string of session drummers. Jay Mehler joined as touring lead guitarist in 2006. Mehler left the band for Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye in 2013.

Kasabian have released five studio albums – Kasabian (2004), Empire (2006), West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009), Velociraptor! (2011), and 48:13 (2014). The band's music has been described as a mix between The Stone Roses and Primal Scream with the swagger of Oasis. Their music has won them several awards and recognition in the media, including a Brit Award in 2010 for Best British Group, and their live performances are generally lauded.

Ian Borley

Senior Partner

KPMG

Ian Borley is Senior Partner of KPMG's East Midlands practice, which includes an office in Leicester. Ian has worked in Leicester for over 30 years and, throughout that time, has been keen to help the wider community in which KPMG works; for example, he is a non-executive director at the National Space Centre, is a past Chairman of Leicestershire Business Voice and served on the Board for the Special Olympic Games held in Leicester in 2009. In this last role, Ian worked closely with Steve Humphries and was therefore delighted to be able to assist with the JHMT awards following Joe's tragic death."

Marie Ashby

Marie Ashby

TV Presenter & Journalist

Marie Ashby has been a television presenter and journalist in the East Midlands for the last 30 years. She presents BBC Sunday Politics and is a documentary film maker for BBC Current Affairs programme Inside Out. She is married, has 2 sons and lives in Leicestershire.

Jess Keeling

Jess Keeling

Leicester City Women's Footballer & JHMT Young Person's Ambassador

Jess Keeling- Leicester City Women's Footballer and JHMT Young Person's Ambassador

Jess Keeling, aged 22, from Blaby, diagnosed with Long QT syndrome, often a pre-cursor to SADS, in 2008.

Jess was told that she could no longer play competitive sport, as a time when she had been identified by the Football Association as of international potential. A keen footballer, she was determined to continue playing sport and living her life to the full, as she explains.

'It's been 10 years since my diagnosis and still, to this day football remains my biggest passion… the highlight of every week. I was devastated when the consultant informed me that I could never play competitive sport, I remember crying and saying 'but football is my life'. Going against the doctor's advice and continuing to play was daunting at first because there was a constant underlying fear of something bad happening. However, due to the sensational and inspiring work of the trust there are defibrillators placed around the county (including one at our home ground) and an increased awareness surrounding SADs. The fear of something happening has stymied with time: with the knowledge that medication mitigates anything happening by 95%, by knowing defibrillators are becoming common place and by CRP proficiency rising. The diagnosis has not affected my day-to-day life and I have lived a totally normal, fulfilled and complete life, but I'm in an incredibly lucky minority in that I was diagnosed and now any risks can be suitably managed'.

Following Joe's death, the Humphries family invited Jess to become the Trust's Young Persons' Ambassador; a role she feels very passionate about.

'I originally talked at launch events and have since spoken at medical conferences and this year I plan to run a marathon for the trust'

Councillor Manjula Sood MBE

Assistant City Mayor for Community Involvement, Partnerships and Equality

Councillor Manjula Sood MBE served as Leicester's Lord Mayor between 2008 and 2009; the first Asian female to hold this position in the country. The Special Olympics was her Appeal for the year. She met Joe Humphries during the Special Olympics. She is currently the Assistant City Mayor, responsible for community involvement, partnerships and equality.
Over the past 10 years, she has been Vice Chair of major committees, including for social services, education, equal opportunities, housing and licensing, as well as the Chair of the Health Commission.

She is a governor for Abbey Primary School and is an ex-governor for Spinney Hill Primary School and Leicester College. Councillor Sood is currently public relations officer for a fibromyalgia disability group, patron of CLASP, and is a keen supporter of Fairtrade and Leicester Day Trust.

She is also the chair of Leicester Council of Faiths, and regional ambassador for Sport England. She was the East Midlands Regional Champion for Sport England 2010-14.

David Wilson

De Montfort University

Professor David Wilson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at De Montfort University. He joined DMU from Warwick University and has also taught Public Policy at Nottingham University,
Leicester University and the Open University.

David is married to Sue and they have three grown up children, now living in widely different parts of the UK. He played cricket for many years for Rothley Park and is a Lay Minister at Rothley, a Parish Church – it was here that David first met the Humphries family.

David said,

"It is a real privilege to have been chosen to be a judge for the Trust's Inspire Awards Scheme – I count it an honour!".

Valerie Lewis

Valerie retired almost 4 years ago from teaching, spending the last 28 years at Rothley school where she had the pleasure of meeting many families including Joe's family. Although she didn't teach Joe, their paths crossed many times, especially when it was raining or cold when he used to come to her classroom to sharpen pencils rather than brave the weather.

Sir David Wilson

David Wilson was educated at Ashby Boys Grammar School, Leicestershire, and spent his career in the building industry where he created Wilson Bowden plc, of which he was the Chief Executive.

The company, which included David Wilson Homes, expanded over the years until the group was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1987. The plc business was later sold to Barratt Developments plc in March 2007. The company's spread of operations prior to the sale was nationwide and included sites in Scotland and Wales. David Wilson Homes was in the top 5 of national house builders by size, regularly building more than 5,000 houses each year and employing either directly or indirectly nearly 6,000 people.

Wilson Bowden plc was one of the most highly regarded in the house building sector. The Group was actively involved with university research, particularly in the areas of build and technology, sustainable development and environmental issues.
In July 1995 David Wilson set up The David Wilson Foundation, which he personally funded. The Foundation has supported many organisations.

David is a Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire, President of Leicestershire Cricket Club, a Patron of the Heart of the National Forest Foundation, a member of the College of benefactors of Nottingham University, a former trustee of Oakham School, President of the Leicestershire Agricultural Society, and former Chairman of the Leicestershire Business Awards. David was made a Doctor of Laws from the University of Leicester in 2004. In 2007 he won the Property Week Midlands Personality of the Year Award.

Jersey Budd

Jenny Lady Gretton