News
2026 Regional Celebration Awards
- Written By: British Dressage
- Published: Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:37
British Dressage was proud to celebrate the incredible achievements and dedication of our members and volunteers across the regions at this year’s Regional Celebration Awards, which took place on Thursday 8 October alongside the BD AGM at The Arden Hotel and Leisure Club.
The Regional and Volunteer Manager at BD, Holly Hart, commented that “We are proud to be able to present a very special set of awards to celebrate the achievements of some unsung heroes from across our regions. The standard of nominees was incredibly high, and our panel had a very challenging task at hand in selecting tonight’s winners. However, the panel wanted to highlight that everyone nominated should be incredibly proud to have been put forward by their Region.”
The celebrations began with the My Quest Award, which recognises riders who embody the spirit of partnership at the heart of the Quest competitions. This year’s award was shared between Lisa Crabtree from the North & West and Shelley Higham from Wales. Shelley was commended for being a true example of all that Quest represents: she is endlessly enthusiastic, knowledgeable and encouraging, creating an environment of welcoming support for other riders, often acting as a mentor along the way. Her positivity and genuine passion for the sport gives members the confidence to keep trying and to keep progressing, as she celebrates their journey along with them. Lisa has also made her mark through Quest with her horse, Harry. Over the past year Lisa and Harry have made remarkable progress, culminating in becoming My Quest Open Novice Champions. Lisa has owned and trained Harry for nine years, developing him from a young horse into a confident competitor. Their progress is an inspiring example of what can be achieved with perseverance, patience and commitment, always putting their partnership and personality first.
The Team Quest Award was presented to Fox to Trot from North & West. Fox to Trot is a wonderfully varied team brought together through friendship and a shared love of horses. The horses have very diverse backgrounds including an off-the-track racehorse with a successful showing career, an ex-hunter hireling, a 20 year old ex-eventer and, last but not least, Lucy who, along with her rider, have a combined age of 94. The riders also represent the fantastic diversity that makes up our sport, with two members of the team having never done dressage before starting in Team Quest. Fox to Trot have embraced dressage, ensuring it is accessible and enjoyable for all, supporting other riders and venues, encouraging others to see and experience the fun side of competition.
In the Para Rider category, two outstanding members of the BD community shared the award — Margaret Lupton from Scotland and Di Green from South & West. Margaret started her journey with the RDA, and has maintained those links through her role as a coach, encouraging riders to progress into para dressage. Margaret has been part of the Para Home Nations team for three years running, travelling great distances and supporting a wide range of venues to secure her scores and qualifications. Margaret’s enthusiasm for the sport shines through, and you only have to have a quick look at her social media to get a glimpse of her fantastic sense of humour! Di and horse Winnie first got involved with the region in 2016 through training, county and regional representation over many years. Unfortunately, Di had to take a break over the past few years – but has now returned all guns blazing! Now riding at Grade 1, Di continues to enjoy success in the saddle, while also supporting other riders to have a go and achieve through her experience with the RDA…often encouraging them to compete against her! Di has shown that determination and commitment can give outstanding results.
The Youth Rider Award also had two deserving winners: Maisie Smith from South & West, and Chloe Balfour from Scotland. Maisie started her BD Youth journey several years ago, showing both consistency and ambition with her horse, demonstrating what time, patience and commitment can achieve. Competing in different disciplines, Maisie also juggles working at a local racing yard with starting her first youngster. Progressing through the levels, Maisie has ridden for her region at the youth team competitions. She is the first to offer help, supporting riders practically with plaiting or calling tests, or offering a cuppa and a shoulder to cry on if things have gone a little awry. Chloe has achieved great success in the saddle this year, in particular at Area Festivals and the Scottish Championships. This shows the inclusivity of the sport, as has been achieved on a cob who was originally in a riding school. Her hard work and commitment are a shining example of the development of a fantastic partnership. Chloe also works hard in the region to create a sense of community, introducing herself to new members, and supporting younger members with advice and guidance. Chloe is also instrumental in all things decoration, leading the discussions on fancy dress and stable adornment!
In the Senior Rider category, the honours were shared between Linda Faulks from Scotland and Alys Matravers from South & West. Linda has experienced great success this year with both of her horses, seeing wins and placings at Area Festivals, Regionals and the Scottish Championships. Her one horse, Bentley, is a Clydesdale Cross, and Bonnie is a Cob cross Thoroughbred, showing that marks can be found in training, harmony and accuracy. Linda has worked incredibly hard to develop partnerships with her horses, buying both at a young age and bringing them on through the levels. She is a true cheerleader for the sport and other riders, supporting those around her. She also consistently gives back to the sport through volunteering in a range of roles, and putting herself forward for demo riding whenever she can. Alys has been a staunch supporter of BD for many years; she started competing in 2007 before, in 2012, competing the then 7 year old coloured pony stallion Tiger Tim. Now competing on a range of horses, Alys has seen increasing success, winning at Area Festivals and Associated Championships on horses she has backed and produced herself. A regular at Regional Team competitions, Alys also schools, volunteers and is a trainee judge. A great ambassador for the sport, Alys is a friend to all across the region, showing support for venues and riders as she continues to champion the sport in any way she can.
The Steward Award was presented to Lynne Campbell from North & East. Lynne is a familiar face across multiple venues, and in multiple regions, as she supports BD through her stewarding role. Consistently putting horse welfare at the heart of every decision, Lynne will always take the time to explain her decisions and provides a calm and encouraging presence to riders and their support teams. Always patient and approachable, she imparts her wealth of knowledge and experience to drive understanding amongst our members. She has the respect of the riders, officials and organisers, gained through her professionalism and impartiality.
For her exceptional dedication to coach development, South & East’s Hayley Liddiard was presented with the Coach Award. Hayley is an advocate for all coaches across the region, ensuring opportunities are offered to get involved, and to develop their skills through regional engagement. Hayley implemented the process, still used today, to use newly qualified coaches at camps in the region to support their development and allow them to experience all the region has to offer. A regular coach at Regional Team competitions, and the Inter County Challenge, Hayley gives not only her time, but her encouragement to all riders to continue to strive for their next milestone. She goes above and beyond to ensure all riders gain confidence and feel supported.
The Judge Award went to Scotland’s own Karen Dewar. Known as a pillar of the judging community, always available to offer a word of advice and to pass on her knowledge to others. She has encouraged a number of members in the region to pursue judging, giving them the confidence to progress while remaining committed to her own development. Karen has supported a large number of venues across Scotland, going where she is needed without complaint. Lovingly known as “Correct Karen” due to her unwavering commitment to the integrity of judging, she is well respected for her ethics, upholding the values of the sport at all times.
New for 2026, the Sustainability Award recognises the venues that are considering our planet in all they do in their area. We have been working with venues across the regions to look at ways to create a sustainable environment and support the ‘green agenda’ and it was unveiled that the inaugural winner of the Sustainability award was Swn-Y-Mor. Swn-Y-Mor are a BD venue based in Caernarfon, and believe that caring for horses and caring for the environment go hand in hand. One of their most popular schemes is a Rosette Swap. Rather than letting unwanted rosettes gather dust at home, riders can bring them back to the venue and exchange them for a complimentary tea or coffee. As part of their commitment to reducing single-use plastics, visitors are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle and fill up on-site, at labelled filling stations, helping to cut down on disposable plastic waste. The onsite café collects used coffee grounds, and adds them to the garden compost, while food waste is kept to a minimum wherever possible. Any suitable leftover bread is passed on to Gill's chickens, ensuring that waste is reduced while supporting some very happy hens. Wherever possible, they source products locally, reducing transport miles and supporting the local economy.
The Volunteer Award was awarded to two individuals this year as joint winners – Matthew Fawcett from South & East and Ava Fowler from North & East. Ava has been a very busy woman this year, setting up competitions, supporting BD Youth training, writing and even stepping in as Chef at the YIR. Offering advice and support, keeping everyone updated on progress, accompanying riders to arenas, and even stepping in to plait when time was tight, nothing was too much trouble. Ava is an excellent role model to members in the region, always ready to support, and full of ideas and enthusiasm for how to drive the region forward. Mat has supported the region for many years, which began when he started travelling to events to support his partner Angela. When Angela was selected for the SIR and SHN Mat took it upon himself to become unofficial team caterer, bringing all of the equipment to set up a fully functional outdoor kitchen! His involvement at the ICC has extended to scoring, and training others to score, writing, and even carrying out emergency shoeing (don’t worry, he is a blacksmith by profession!). Well known to members across the region, he embodies the fun and excitement of team competitions, supporting all throughout the event, and helping anyone, from any team, to do the best they can with a smile on their face.
Next, we had the Outstanding Contribution Award, which was presented to Brenda Pamplin. Brenda has been a member of the North & West committee for the past eight years, but her involvement with BD stretches considerably further back as she has been a support to so many. A familiar face at events up and down the country, Brenda works tirelessly to coordinate officials at our Championships, ensuring everyone feels supported, listened to and appreciated. Never one to panic, she will calmly deal with any issues and concerns that arise to ensure that those competing, officiating and volunteering remain blissfully unaware. Her dedication is also evident in the region – supporting officials, developing riders and providing a listening ear to those around her.
Finally, the evening concluded with the presentation of the President’s commendation. The Presidents Commendation is an award that recognises outstanding contributions, by an individual or group, to dressage in Great Britain. Recipients may have had a long-term or singularly significant impact on the dressage community and will be, without doubt, a standout example to others. This year, the award was presented the BD Wales Chair, Mike Mullis. Mike took up the post of Chair in January 2019 and, come December this year, will complete his full eight-year term in post. An ex-Army Officer and Police Officer, Mike already had a wealth of both volunteering and dressage experience. Having learnt to ride at Sandhurst Mike was part of the GB team for the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in 1973. He also achieved the honour of qualifying for ‘his Olympics’ by riding at the Pet Plan Area Festivals. Mike strives to give a voice to all Wales members, bringing innovative ideas and driving forward the needs of the region. He is a consistent presence at Team competitions, coordinating support for all riders as they go down the centre line to ensure that everyone is supported, ready with a congratulations or a comforting word to everyone representing the region. During his tenure, Wales have seen membership and participation growth, the development of a strong and stable committee, and both individual and team success for the riders.
Congratulations to all nominees and award winners, British Dressage is immensely proud of the regional communities and those who give their time and expertise to ensure they remain at the heart of affiliated activity.
