UK’s top apprentices recognised at Purple Umbrella Awards

20 Sept

More than 14 awards were handed out to the country’s top apprentices at the prestigious Purple Umbrella Awards held at The Savoy Hotel in London, recognising their commitment to the hospitality industry.

The awards, hosted by Umbrella Training which is this year celebrating its tenth anniversary, were presented to talented chefs, staff, supervisors and managers for their commitment to lifelong learning and their achievements over the past 12–18 months.

Home Grown Hotels – best known for The Pig group of hotels – walked away with a clutch of awards as the industry came together to celebrate apprentices from across the hotel, restaurant and foodservice sectors.

Alongside category winners, the overall Purple Umbrella winners included Kyle Bishop, a Level 2 chef apprentice at The Pig at Combe in Devon; Maria Elizabeth Sousa, deputy head housekeeper at The Pig on the Beach in Studland, Dorset; and her colleague at the hotel Nichola Davis was recognised with a Purple Umbrella Award for her hospitality passion. Several other Pig apprentices also came highly commended in their categories.

Lorraine Copes, founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality, received the Special Award for her work accelerating race equity across the hospitality, food and drink sector.

Other award winners included Hannah Buckmaster, an apprentice at the Royal Household; Cristiana Pirinu, bar supervisor at Brown's Hotel; Edgar Kamykov, bar waiter at The Berkeley in London; and Tom McMillan, food and beverage manager at the Park Plaza London Waterloo.

Umbrella Training founder Adele Oxberry said: “Despite all that is going on in the sector at the moment, we have been blown away by the commitment to continuous learning we have seen over the last twelve months.

“We have some incredibly talented people working in our sector and, together with some inspirational employers, we know the future of the sector is in good hands.”

Kate Nicholls, chief executive, UKHospitality, said: "Huge congratulations to all of the winners and finalists of the Purple Umbrella Awards. Every single individual is a credit to their establishment and the UK hospitality industry as a whole.

"Apprenticeships are vitally important for hospitality. Not only do they offer a viable and meaningful route into the industry, but they also offer crucial learning opportunities for those already pursuing a career in the sector."

Apprentices were nominated for the awards by their employers and winners selected by a panel of hospitality experts.