An amputee who set up a company supplying amputee extras and stuntmen for film-makers and Armed Forces training exercises has won this year’s £50,000 Stelios Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs.

John Pickup founded Amputees in Action in 2004, and the company’s artistes have since appeared in blockbusters including Gladiator, 28 Weeks Later, and Saving Private Ryan, as well as popular television shows including Doctor Who.

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who presented John with the cheque, said: “John runs a successful business and displays the drive, creativity and determination to reach the top and really fly. The £50,000 prize will help to ensure that Amputees in Action has a great platform for growth.”

John Pickup said: “It’s a great honour to have won this fantastic award and to have Amputees in Action recognised in this way. £50,000 will mean we can invest in a project to work with the Stunt Register and Actors Equity to develop a competency award system, similar to NVQs that would enable amputees to perform stunts.

“For the business to grow, it is all about the backing not only of our clients but the trust and support of professional organisations who represent them,” he added. “ I believe that a positive approach is the way to overcome the fear, prejudice and misconception that often stand in the way of disabled people.”

Sophie Down of Leonard Cheshire Disability, which organises the award, added: “Our partnership with Sir Stelios is helping the charity highlight the barriers disabled people face in the workplace and recognise the outstanding achievement of disabled entrepreneurs. Leonard Cheshire Disability leads the way with innovative initiatives and campaigns that challenge people to change the way they see disability, and this award plays a big part in this.”

MORE: www.lcdisability.org