The Disability Power Awards Evening 2024

On 20 November, we were honoured to welcome over three hundred of the most influential individuals, organisations, and changemakers in the disabled community to The Drum in Wembley. 

As guests arrived for drinks and canapes, the excitement was contagious. It was brilliant to see familiar faces catching up with one another, as well as those using the time to network and forge new connections. Amongst the guests of the evening were Jody Cundy, nine-time gold paralympic medallist for team GB, Simon Minty, Googlebox star and Power 100 2024 finalist, plus representatives from our sponsors. 

The evening kicked off with a warm welcome from our presenter for the evening, comedy creator Fats Timbo, setting the stage for a night filled with inspiration, laughter, and powerful speeches. The room buzzed as we explored this year’s Disability Power 100, feeling a sense of awe and honour to be in the room with the diversity of talents and experiences represented. 

Of course, the standout moments came from the category winners, who each gave a speech as they took to the stage to collect their awards. Their stories highlighted the barriers they’ve overcome, and the victories gained through perseverance and collaboration. The room was filled with emotion, celebrating not just individual accomplishments, but shared journeys and experiences.  

Throughout the evening, Fats pivoted to our livestream host, writer and comedian, Juliette Burton, to hear from those watching from home. It’s clear that the emotion was just as heartfelt from those watching online, as Robbie Crow’s (Business and Finance category winner and number 3 overall) wife sent word of how proud and excited their young daughter was for him.  

It was fantastic to also have the support of Sir Stephen Timms MP, Minister for Social Security and Disability, who proudly presented the overall winner for 2024, Celia Chartres-Aris, with her award. Before presenting the award to Celia, Sir Stephen gave a speech acknowledging his ambitions to break down the barriers that disabled people come against “that do not need to be there.” He spoke of the talent and potential that our society has been missing out on, as a result of these barriers, and stated “we now want to put right”. 

Celia gave an emotional and inspiring acceptance speech, as she collected her award as the number 1 most influential disabled person for 2024. She began with a heartfelt thanks to her close friend Jamie Shieilds, also on the Disability Power List this year. Celia then went on to speak about her journey into Politics, which she says is her passion. She was cheered as she declared accessibility and disability inclusion to be “a fundamental human right” in her speech and that her aspiration in life as an advocate is to “make herself redundant.”  

The room erupted in applause for Celia, both in celebration for her and her accomplishments, but also with a renewed sense of ambition and determination instilled by her achievement.   

The event was not just a celebration; it was a powerful reminder of the strength, talents and determination of the disabled community. Together, we can continue to advocate for change, push boundaries, and create a world that’s more inclusive for everyone. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to making it such a special night. We can’t wait to see what next year holds! 

You can catch up on the event by rewatching the livestream on YouTube by clicking here. 

Our 2024 Top 10 are: 

Number 10 – Beth Moulam, DH, BA (Hons), PLY, Grassroots Community Advocate Winner 

Number 9 – Marc Brew, Performing Arts, Television and Radio Winner 

Number 8 – Dr Nick Palfreyman, Education and Research Winner 

Number 7 – Lee Keogh, Cross Sector Advocate Winner 

Number 6 – Max Fisher, Science, Engineering, Technology, Property and Construction Winner 

Number 5 – Ali Jawad PLY, Sport Health and Wellbeing Winner 

Number 4 – Josh Wintersgill, Transport, Retail, Service and Hospitality Winner 

Number 3 – Robbie Crow, Business and Finance Winner 

Number 2 – Victoria Jenkins, Visual Arts, Fashion and Design Winner 

Number 1 – Celia Chartres-Artis, Politics, Law and Media Winner 

You can find out more about each of our 2024 finalists by clicking here.  

There are 6 images, from left to right: An image of guests, some of whom are wheelchair users, posing for a photo in front of large purple light up letters which spell Power 100. The next image is of Juliette Burton, looking back over her right shoulder to the camera. She is wearing red lipstick and is smiling, in a sparkly silver dress whilst stood at a table with a laptop on and ring light. The next image is of Robbie Crow, a white male with short curly hair, accepting his award. The bottom left image is of guests seated at tables in The Drum, the room is lit with purple lighting and there are light up stars on each table. The next image is of Victoria Jenkins giving her acceptance speech, Victoria is a white woman with brown bob cut hair and is wearing red lipstick and a black blazer. The last image is of Sir Stephen Timms MP, who is a tall white man in a suite, giving Celia her award for overall winner. Celia a white female with long dark blonde hair which is pulled into a bun. Next to her is Fats Timbo, a black woman of short stature.