Road Safety GB has announced the winners of its 2025 Awards, including a posthumous Outstanding Contribution Award for its former chair, Sonya Hurt, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
Sonya was a dedicated supporter of Road Safety GB, being vice chair of the organisation before becoming chair from 2016 to 2018.
She was well known within the sector having held roles in road safety, safety engineering, traffic management and highway design, in a career spanning 30 years.
A significant part of her career was with Nottinghamshire County Council, later being employed by Via East Midlands holding various roles including team manager for road safety. She went on to secure a strategic role at national level when she became CEO of The Road Safety Trust in July 2022.
The Outstanding Contribution Award was presented to Gary Astle, Sonya’s partner, by Jackie Bratley, who manages finance and governance at Road Safety GB.
Jackie Bratley said: “Sonya was a key figure within Road Safety GB for a substantial period of time and there is no doubt that she helped to shape and progress how the organisation has moved forward. Road Safety GB benefited significantly from her support, input and dedication to road safety.
“As well as a work colleague, she was also a friend to many and will be fondly remembered for her kindness, her warm smile and her generous nature.”
Contributing significantly to road safety in the UK
The Road Safety GB Awards recognise individuals and organisations who have contributed significantly to road safety in the UK.
The awards are presented at the annual National Road Safety Conference (NRSC), which this year attracted a record-breaking 420 delegates.
A second Outstanding Contribution Award was presented to Nick Rawlings, managing director of Stennik, who has helped deliver the NRSC on behalf of Road Safety GB since its inception in 2009.
Nicola Foster presenting the Outstanding Contribution Award to Nick Rawlings
Presenting the award, Nicola Foster, chair of Road Safety GB, said: “Nick will be known to many in the room and has provided significant support, dedication and commitment to Road Safety GB and the wider road safety profession.
“He has been instrumental in the development of the RSGB website, Knowledge Centre and the management and running of NRSC. The conference has grown year on year and he has been at the forefront of each one, making improvements and bringing ideas to life.
“Always helpful, always reliable, always there. While elected officers like me have a fixed term of office, he has been a constant presence, allowing consistency, quality and innovation to flourish. He exudes a calmness, a can-do attitude, all coupled with seemingly effortless organisational skills, a brilliant combination.”
Elsewhere, two Achievement Awards were presented, to Anne-Marie Penny, senior road safety policy adviser at National Highways and June Howlett, road safety officer at Buckinghamshire Council.
Nicola Foster presenting an Achievement Award to Anne-Marie Penny
Anne-Marie Penny has been a road safety professional since 2003. She was involved in a life-threatening motorbike crash in 1995 and her passion to reduce road crash casualties stems from this experience.
After 14 years in the private sector Anne-Marie joined Kent County Council’s road safety team where she was the road safety development manager, and led on motorcycle safety, before moving on to manage the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership.
Working for National Highways since 2017, Anne-Marie leads the DfBB programme aimed at raising the standard of work-related road risk management.
Presenting the accolade, Nicola Foster said her colleagues sum up her contribution best: “She is a pleasure to work with, professional in her approach to everything she does. She is so enthusiastic, it’s infectious!”
With a road safety career spanning more than two decades, June Howlett joined Buckinghamshire Council in 2002 and is responsible for the delivery of road safety education, training and publicity across the county.
Nicola Foster presenting an Achievement Award to June Howlett
She has been the driving force behind Buckinghamshire’s ‘Be a Better Driver/Rider’ schemes and the county’s Mature Driver Assessment, widely regarded as one of the most effective in the country.
Her work directly shaped the framework for the national Standardised Mature Driver Assessment currently under evaluation. Beyond her local achievements, June gives her time and expertise generously at a national level, representing Road Safety GB as company secretary.
Presenting the award, Nicola Foster said: “Our second award winner has worked as a road safety professional for more than two decades.
“She has consistently demonstrated her passion, energy, and creativity in developing and delivering road safety interventions that make a real difference.
“As company secretary for Road Safety GB, she has provided invaluable support to the organisation, ensuring others benefit from her knowledge, professionalism, and dedication.”
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