Mr Ferdinand was presented with the Catherine Variety Sheridan Award at the star-studded gala dinner – part of the four-day Variety World Conference – held at the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society in Trinity on Saturday night.
Mr Ferdinand was chosen because of the work the Rio Ferdinand Foundation performs in helping disadvantaged young people gain skills for employment and told the JEP that he felt ‘honoured’ to receive it.
Comedian Bradley Walsh co-hosted the awards evening and former Miss Worlds from every continent also attended, including the reigning Miss World, Mireia Lalaguna from Spain, while Julia Morley, chairman of the Miss World Organisation, collected the Humanitarian Award in recognition of the work she has done in raising hundreds of millions of dollars for vital causes.
This was the first time the conference has been held in Jersey, and money raised from the event will be used to build a sensory pool with state-of-the-art sound and lighting at Oakwell Short Break Centre in St Brelade – a facility run by the Health Department for children who have intellectual and physical disabilities.
Read Mr Ferdinand’s comments in full in Tuesday’s JEP.
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