Martin Lewis OBE: Congratulations from the MSE team

The first thing to say is, well done Martin, and thoroughly deserved.

MoneySavingExpert.com is a vital tool for anyone who wants to save money, make the most of what they have got or get good deals on things they want to buy. Martin is the founder, and the main face of the site, and as Editor-in-Chief is obviously in charge.

He built MSE, starting it with a meagre £100 just over 11 years ago and turned it into an institution for many of our users to help them save cash. But he also created the campaigning bandwagon that has seen MSE lead the successful fight to get financial education on the school curriculum, help millions reclaim unfair bank charges and mis-sold PPI, and put the pressure on regulators to tighten controls on payday lenders.

In some cases, MSE has helped people out of a debt mire to such an extent that it has actually saved the lives of those who had threatened to end it all, such was the terrible strain their debts were taking on them. That’s a message that has come directly from those who we have helped, and is not a gushing self-congratulatory comment by us.

Of course, MSE is far more than just Martin Lewis, with a team of more than 70, including award-winning journalists and technical geniuses who build the site and do things with computers that I could never begin to understand.

This is our chance to say well done to Martin and to celebrate the success of the site.

I hope you’ll agree that the award is thoroughly deserved and long may MSE continue to service as a force for good and for financial justice.