An Evening of Inspiration and Recognition

I was delighted to be nominated for the Best Awareness Campaign category at the 2026 CrimeCon UK True Crime Awards, held on 4th June at the Hilton Bankside in London. While I did not take home the award this year, simply being recognised alongside so many dedicated campaigners and professionals working to make a difference was an honour in itself.

The evening provided a fantastic opportunity to catch up with familiar faces and speak with several key people from across the true crime, criminal justice, and victims' advocacy community. One of the great strengths of events like CrimeCon is the chance to exchange ideas, share experiences, and build the relationships that help drive meaningful change.

I was delighted to congratulate Dawn Dines, who was named the winner in the Best Awareness Campaign category. Dawn has dedicated many years to her campaign to Stamp Out Spiking across the UK, and her tireless work raising awareness and pushing for change thoroughly deserved the recognition. Congratulations must also go to Natalie Queiroz MBE, who was highly commended in the same category.

It was also wonderful to meet up with many of the regular attendees from previous CrimeCon events and to catch up with old friends and colleagues. I was especially pleased to spend some time with Jo Millington, whose expertise and enthusiasm as a forensic scientist continue to inspire so many people with an interest in criminal investigation and victim advocacy.

Finally, my thanks and congratulations go to Nancy Baughen and the entire CrimeCon UK team for organising another outstanding event, and to David Jones for helping to make the evening such a success. Bringing together campaigners, professionals, survivors, and supporters from across the UK creates an environment where important conversations can happen and where the voices of victims and their families continue to be heard.

While the award may have gone elsewhere this year, the evening served as a reminder that the real achievement lies in the collective effort of so many people working to make our communities safer and to ensure that victims and their families are never forgotten.

Photos to follow...