Celebrating hospitality and its apprentices at the Purple Umbrella Awards 2021

It was an evening of joy and celebration as hospitality professionals came together for the Purple Umbrella Awards on Friday the 3rd of September at the Savoy Hotel in London. The awards were set up by Umbrella Training and its founder and CEO, Adele Oxberry, to recognise talented apprentices across the UK and special contributions to the hospitality industry.

There was a sense of excitement and happiness in the air. After a long and challenging year for the industry, its people finally got to meet each other in person to recognise the fantastic apprentices that have continued to develop their skills even in these troubled times.

It was an evening of reckoning and looking towards the future, with more than 45 apprentices awarded for their work in the last year. Their commitment to continuous development ensures that the industry’s future is in safe hands and that a new generation of leaders is born. You can see the complete list of winners here.

Last year’s Special Award’s winner Harry Murray MBE, the Chairman of Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, an industry legend, presented this year’s Special Award to Mark Lewis, chief executive at Hospitality Action, to raucous applause from the audience. It was indeed a well-deserved recognition for an incredible charity.

Since 1837 Hospitality Action has provided much-needed support to hospitality people who’ve found themselves in difficulty or crisis. The pandemic has seen the number of people in need soar, and the charity was there to help by spending a record £1.36m and awarding 4,698 grants in 2020. See how you can help them continue their fantastic work here.

Lorraine Copes from Be Inclusive Hospitality, the evening’s keynote speaker, shared her mission to eradicate discrimination in the industry, with her speech centring on authenticity and belonging. This mission stemmed from her own story and battles with prejudice, and although much has been achieved, there is still a lot of work to be done. Find out more about their amazing work here.

The overall feeling of the night was one of celebration, resilience and hope for the future. After a long and challenging period, it was a fantastic way of signalling the beginning of a new dawn in the industry. The future indeed looks bright, and the industry and its people are ready to deal with anything that comes their way, and they shall not only survive but thrive.

Learn more about apprenticeships and how you can enrol and possibly be one of the winners here.

The event was made possible thanks to the sponsors