Edinburgh woman who raised over £5 million for NHS charities awarded MBE

An Edinburgh woman who raised over £5 million for NHS Charities Together during lockdown has been awarded an MBE for services to fundraising.
Olivia Strong, who created Run For Heroes.Olivia Strong, who created Run For Heroes.
Olivia Strong, who created Run For Heroes.

Olivia Strong, 27, set up the Run For Heroes campaign on March 28, using social media to ask people to run 5km, then donate £5 to a Virgin Giving fundraiser and nominate five friends to do the same.

Within weeks her initial goal of raising £5,000 had snowballed to £3 million, continuing to rise during the lockdown.

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Celebrities including Sir Mo Farah, Ellie Goulding, John Terry and Laura Whitmore all took part.

Ms Strong, a documentary film maker, said it felt ‘really special’ to be given the award, but that it belonged to all of the 1.5 million people who donated to the campaign.

"There are not many words to describe it – to be honest it feels really special to be recognised for something that was such a joy to be part of but also at the same time felt so right,” she said.

“The MBE is not for me – it’s a Run for Heroes MBE. It’s for the 1.5 million people who went out and also for the team I’ve been working with – India, Alice and my family.

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“It’s an award on behalf of everybody. I very strongly feel it’s not something achieved by myself in any way.”

Ms Strong was one of several Scots recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Alison Williams, 41, a nurse at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary who set up the Rainbow Boxes campaign, has been honoured with a British Empire Medal.

She raised tens of thousands of pounds to deliver essential supplies including clothes and toiletries to Covid hospital patients, as well as supplying iPads so patients could speak to their families, sometimes for the last time.

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Others honoured include Professor David John Webb, a professor of therapeutics and clinical pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh who was given a CBE for services to clinical pharmacology research and education.

Professor Webb currently works in the field of hypertension and kidney disease, and runs Edinburgh’s Hypertension Excellence Centre. His research on blood pressure, arterial stiffness and endothelial function has contributed to the development of new medicines for the treatment of heart disease including renin inhibitors, phosphodiesterase inhibitors and endothelin antagonists.

He established the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Cardiovascular Science and Clinical Research Centre, and has been President of the British Pharmacological Society, having won their SKB Silver Medal for Research and Lilly Gold Medal for leadership in Clinical Pharmacology.

Ian Beattie, Chief Operating Officer of Lindsays and Chairman of Scottish Athletics, was awarded an MBE so services to athletics.

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He said: “Being awarded an MBE is an incredible honour. I’m excited and delighted in equal measure.

“The award is for services to athletics, but I believe that my history and understanding of athletics has been an important driver in how I have gone about my business career and how I have managed staff.

“An interesting aspect of my work now is to promote the link between physical health, mental health and professional productivity.

“I’m looking forward to continuing that with a few extra letters after my name!”

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