After an emotional search that uncovered countless acts of selflessness across the county, a luxury Buckinghamshire hotel has announced the winner of its ‘Christmas Hero’ competition – along with two surprise runners-up.
Horwood House, an award-winning, 4-star country house hotel and conference venue in Little Horwood, near Milton Keynes, launched the campaign last month to honour an unsung community champion with a luxury Rural Retreat Spa Package.
While the hotel originally set out to find a single winner, the sheer volume and emotional weight of the nominations left the judges with an impossible choice. As a result, the hotel has expanded the prize pool to recognise three extraordinary community champions.
The overall winner was Nick Freeman, who was nominated by multiple members of the community for his tireless work co-running The Man Cave UK’s Bletchley group, which supports men’s mental health.
Nominations described Nick as an “unsung hero” who responds to men in crisis around the clock, despite having a full-time job in manufacturing, being a personal carer to a family member and looking after a toddler at home. Beyond facilitating support groups, Nick has voluntarily created a city-wide digital network to signpost residents to vital mental health services and has even been credited with saving lives through his intervention and guidance.
Speaking on hearing he had won the competition, Nick said: “I had no idea people had nominated me so was quite overwhelmed when I got the call from the hotel to say I had won! It’s certainly a nice recognition for the work I do in the community. At The Man Cave UK, we support over 400 men aged 18 to 79, providing them with the platform to speak to someone 24/7 during any life struggles. We’ve just opened our sixth ‘man cave’ in Newport Pagnell, with 2026 expected to be our biggest year yet as we continue to ensure men always have someone to talk to about their mental health.”
The two additional standout nominees, who will each receive a ‘Peaceful Escape’ spa break, include:
- Clare Pacey, founder of The Woad Farm Project. Clare was recognised for her dedication to supporting over 1,000 children experiencing trauma or exclusion through therapeutic support in nature with animals. Nominations highlighted her “vision and passion,” noting that she works unpaid and has continued to run sessions and manage the project late into the night, even through pregnancy and caring for a newborn.
- Amee Tomkins, a local volunteer who brings joy to the most vulnerable. Amee visited intensive care and stroke wards with her therapy dog to ensure patients weren’t alone during the festive season. Despite having a young family of her own, she dedicated her Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to visiting wards, even hand-writing cards and making gifts for patients and staff.
Caroline Morrone, General Manager at Horwood House Hotel, said: “When we launched this search, we hoped to find one person to spoil for Christmas. However, we were genuinely inundated with entries, and the stories we received were incredibly moving. It became clear very quickly that we couldn’t choose just one winner.
“Nick, Clare, and Amee represent the very best of our community. From saving lives and supporting children through trauma to bringing comfort to hospital patients, their kindness is inspiring. We are delighted to give them a chance to relax and be the ones looked after for a change. We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate – it is clear that Buckinghamshire is full of heroes.”
Find out more information on Horwood House Hotel, https://www.horwoodhouse.co.uk/
