Holocaust survivor Sir Ben Helfgott has won a Pride of Britain Award at the annual televised event in honour of his “quiet determination to ensure that the unspeakable wickedness and evil” of the Shoah is never forgotten.

The 90 year-old survivor and  British Olympic weightlifting team captain was handed his award by Stephen Fry  in a presentation filmed at the Holocaust Memorial in Hyde Park after the Daily Mirror promoted  event was forced to scrap its usual glittering dinner ceremony because of the pandemic.

“You shouldn’t have to be Jewish or to have a relatives who perished in the Holocaust yourself to be stunned by characters like Ben Helfgott, though of course it does add an extra element of admiration and appreciation,” said author and television presenter Mr Fry.

“His actions speak for all humanity however. His quiet determination to ensure that the unspeakable wickedness and evil of what happened has been inspirational. Against indifference, denial and doubt he has raised a literal and figurative memorial wall that honours the victims and helps push back against the possibility that such horrors might be allowed to happen again.”

Sir Ben, who said he was “honoured” to receive the award,  was joined by his wife Arza, their three sons and five of his grandchildren, for the event, which will be screened by ITV on Sunday.

Polish-born Sir Ben – whose parents and younger sister were killed in the Holocaust – survived Buchenwald and was liberated from Theresienstadt before being brought to the UK aged just 15.

In 1956, he managed to captain the British Olympic weightlifting team – and then achieved the same feat four years later.

In 1963, Sir Ben helped to set up the ’45 Aid Society to assist the more than 700 children who arrived with him in the UK after the War, leading the organisation for nearly half a century until 2016.

He has served as president of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and was a member of David Cameron’s Holocaust Commission which recommended the creation of a national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in London.

Holocaust Educational Trust chief executive Karen Pollock has described Sir Ben as a “hero” who “dedicated his life to ensuring the past is never forgotten.”