Taking home the gold

For the second year running, we've won the People’s Choice Award at the Smiley Charity Film Awards in collaboration with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA). Our film, ‘Michael’s Story’, was nominated in the longform category of the prestigious film awards and the tidal wave of public support put us in pole position, bringing home the gold once again!

Michael’s Story is a film that documents a parachuting accident he experienced when a skydive manoeuvre went wrong. Michael came crashing down to earth at approximately 40mph, causing a significant spinal injury, and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance were called to the scene. Michael, who is an avid tri-sports athlete, gives a powerful account of the accident which is made even more impactful by GoPro footage of the actual accident.

Ben and Darren joined some of the HIOWAA team and Michael in London for the awards ceremony which took place in the Indigo at the O2. Over 1,500 charity and film professionals attended the star-studded event, presented by TV presenter Lisa Snowdon who was joined on stage by household names such as Anton Ferdinand, Kathryn Drysdale, Patsy Palmer, AJ and Curtis Pritchard and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu. The entire evening was a celebration of the power of film and raising awareness for worthy causes. 

Many deserving films were recognised throughout the evening. The Grand Prix Charity Film of the Year award went to Refuge for their film ‘Make the World a Refuge’, featuring a powerful performance by Billie Piper highlighting the many forms that domestic abuse can take. 

The event culminated in the presentation of The People’s Choice Awards. Everyone involved in Michael’s Story had their fingers crossed as the winners were announced… a collective cheer erupted from our section of the audience as Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance was called to the stage! Smiles, hugs and a few jubilant expletives were shared before Michael was nudged to his feet for the honour of collecting the award. We watched with pride as the words “We won again! I can’t believe we won again!” were repeated over and over. We then celebrated with plenty of photos and mingled with the other winners before calling it a night and heading back to the south coast. 

Ben and Darren came away inspired by the many incredible films they’d seen, fuelling the fire for future charity films and firmly setting our eye on the prize - a third Smiley Charity Film award in 2026!