The mother of Martyn Hett from Tameside, who was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, has received an award for her commitment and campaigning for Protect Duty legislation following the atrocity. 

Counter-terrorism campaigner Figen Murray OBE won the Special Recognition Award at the 2022 Women in Security Awards. 

Reacting on Twitter, she said: "This special recognition award came as a complete surprise and I feel very privileged and honoured to have received it." 

Protect Duty is a new legislation under consultation that will require many businesses to formally assess terrorism risk for the first time.

It comes in the wake of a number of terrorist attacks in public spaces across the UK – most notably the Manchester Arena bombing. 

Previously referred to as 'Martyn's Law', the purpose of Protect Duty is to improve security in public spaces, protecting and enhancing the safety of both visitors and staff.

This special recognition award came as a complete surprise and I feel very privileged and honoured to have received it. 🌺 https://t.co/v4wtXpeHdX

— Figen Murray OBE (@FigenMurray) November 14, 2022

Figen has urged the government to bring forward the legislation. In May, it was confirmed in the Queen's Speech setting out the government's planned legislative programme.

Following her decision to no longer continue working as a counsellor, Figen is committed to promoting peace, kindness and tolerance in Martyn’s memory, while also working towards tangible changes that can help ensure no other family has to go through what hers did.

Earlier this month, the Manchester Arena Inquiry published a catalogue of failings and mistakes by the emergency services following the terror attack. 

Chairman Sir John Saunders highlighted a number of failures of the emergency response to the suicide bombing and said avoidable mistakes had been made. 

Emergency services chiefs apologised for their "wholly inadequate and totally ineffective" response to the attack, where 22 people died and hundreds more were injured in the explosion at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017. 

One of those victims was 29-year-old Martyn Hett, who was a Coronation Street ‘super fan’ with a large social media following of his own. 

There is an annual awards ceremony in his name held every year in Tameside - which has been supported and judged by Martyn's dad Paul Hett, who runs Paul Hett Ltd trophy shop in Hyde. 

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