Susie Cornell MBE

Founder of the Awards

Susie started the well known 'Essex Achievement Awards' in 1994 to recognise people who had achieved in the face of adversity.  Susie herself has lived with multiple sclerosis for over 30 years, yet has turned her misfortune into a lifelong determination to learn about and treat the disease and help others to overcome it.

You can contact Susie at the Cornell Centre on:

01245 268098 or email her at info@susiecornell.com

Susie has recently had an article in Chat Magazine - please see below

Dave Dennison BEM .DL

Chairman of Main Sponsors Directa UK Ltd.

Through his company Directa UK Ltd, Dave has been an enthusiastic supporter of the awards for the last eight years. He took over as Chairman of the Pride of Essex Awards in 2012. He is no stranger to worthwhile causes, indeed he supports many charities himself mainly through after dinner speaking, where he is usually billed as past vice president of Tottenham Hotspur FC and Russ Abbotts failed script writer! He has written two books ‘A Gift for an Idiot’ and ‘A Gift from an Idiot’, the entire proceeds of which are donated to charity. He has also written three illustrated books for children (ages 5 to 10) under the penname of Ferdie Yeatsy. The full proceeds of these books ‘Clip Cheesecake and the Majellic Beans’, ‘Clip Cheesecake meets Beanie’ and 'Clip Cheesecake and the Jelly Roger' are also donated to charity. He has a varied entrepreneurial industrial and commercial background, which led to an invitation to Downing Street in 1982. 

In the entertainment business his work has been as diverse as writing lyrics for Chas and Dave, to writing a full musical ‘The last Serenade’, the stage biography of tenor and film star Mario Lanza. He co-wrote the song ‘If you only believe’ especially for our awards which the Essex youth choir performed for the first time at the presentations in 2012.

Dave was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2018 New Years Honours List for his services to charity.

You can contact Dave at Directa on:

Tel 01621 828882 or email him at davidd@directa.co.uk