Richard Hatch - Vice Patron
Richard Hatch is an award winning presenter/producer for BFBS radio in the UK. For the last 25 years he's traveled the world living alongside HM Forces in the Falklands, Gibraltar, Germany, Bosnia, Kosovo, Cyprus, Belize and Afghanistan. He's currently based in the UK.
Richard has won 5 New York Radio Festival awards for a wide variety of radio projects. He co-wrote and produced the documentary 'The Chelsea Pensioners - A life served' which won Gold. He won Silver for co-presenting the daily 'Hatch & Duffus' radio show which won in the comedy category. Plus three Bronze awards; two for executive producing the Comedy sketch show 'Damn The Torpedoes' with Kirrin Productions and one for presenting 'The Richard Hatch Breakfast Show' in British Forces Germany.
He is the current Guinness World record holder of the "Longest Underwater Radio broadcast". He managed 4 hrs and 43 minutes, in a show that was heard all over the forces world.
When he was in Afghanistan he presented a daily radio show from Camp Bastion to troops all over the region and all over the forces world. While there, he interviewed David Beckham for a live 1 hr radio special and hosted a Q&A evening with him. Richard was also part of the Radio 1 - "10 Minute Takeover" with Fearne Cotton and Greg James for which BFBS were awarded a "Friends of the Forces" award by the Royal British Legion which was presented to BFBS by Prince Harry.
In his spare time he makes things out of wood that tend to wobble.
Laura Wright
Laura Wright won BBC Chorister of the Year 2005 at the age of 15 and went on to become one of this decade’s biggest selling artists. She is currently writing and recording her 7 th album. Laura is no stranger to performing at high profile events, having written and performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on numerous occasions. Most notably, in 2012 she performed a specially commissioned piece for the Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey in celebration of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee and in 2016 she performed the national anthem for Her Majesty at her 90 th birthday celebrations. Laura wrote the Invictus anthem Invincible for Prince Harry Duke of Sussex and has performed it at the official opening ceremonies of each Invictus Games (Florida, Toronto and Sydney).
In 2018 Laura was invited to Thailand to perform at the State Funeral of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, owner of Premier League football club Leicester City. Laura Wright became the England Rugby team’s first ever official singer and performs regularly at the mens and the womens international and home matches. Laura is a regular performer and promoter of sports events such as the NFL Series in London and the Grand National in Aintree. She has also performed at the Carling Cup Final, the FA Cup Final, the NBA Series in London and the British Grand Prix. Many of her appearances are broadcast to millions via networks such as Sky and the BBC, but Laura’s passion is touring. She has been fortunate enough to perform in some of the UK’s most prestigious music venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, the O2, Symphony Hall Birmingham, Bridgewater Hall Manchester as well as in Westminster Abbey, York Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral.
Laura is a BBC Songs of Praise presenter and an impassioned Community Ambassador for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation; she has taken several trips to promote DSWF’s work in Africa. Laura is also a UK Ambassador for the Invictus Games and the first Ambassador for the Kia Women's Cricket League; she wrote their first ever official anthem. Laura has most recently become a Ladies Day Ambassador for The Grand National in Aintree and in July 2019 Laura featured in Barbour’s 125th anniversary national advertising campaign. www.laurawright.co.uk
Maurillia Simpson
Maurillia S M Simpson born in Trinidad and Tobago the 3rd of 4 girls. Her mother was blessed with the gift of singing, which was passed to her children from the age of 3 years old.
She served 13 years in Her Majesty Armed Forces branch of the Army, from January 2001 to November 2013. Maurillia faced conflicts in Iraq 3 times, endured training for Afghanistan amongst other adversities, where she found her gift of singing to bring solace, life, hope, and freedom especially when her comrades’ lives and her own were on the brink of death.
After being medically discharged from the Army, she became involved in various recovery projects from the Theatre of War to Art & Craft, Clay Working, Singing Workshops with Soldiers Art Academy, even being a Voice of Recovery for Veterans Mental Health programmes in collaboration with St Pancras Hospital London.
This has led to singing performances with the Invictus Choir at the Invictus Games Orlando Florida, and The Royal Albert Hall. From singing the Anthem at NFL games at Tottenham Stadium of 90,000 spectators in attendance to performances in Cardiff Arts Festival with the Mayor of Cardiff in attendance.
Maurillia has sung with Ms Laura Wright, an English Soprano and voice coach on the BBC Songs of Praise, performed with Mr Chris Hatt (Musical Director of Hamilton) on Britain’s Got Talent and at the RAF London Cathedral for the Celebration of Life Service for Flt Sgt Brown.
Maurillia is an integral part of the BWIRHT; The British West Indian Regiment Heritage Trust. A trust which recognises that the lives of all creed and races, that found an equal place to serve in World Wars (1&2), Iraq and Afghanistan service, matter.