Hollywood stars on the red carpet to honour heroes
THE geniuses behind the lifesaving Oxford/astrazeneca Covid vaccine took their rightful places in the spotlight alongside famous faces from the world of entertainment at the Mirror Pride of Britain Awards last night.
Hollywood actress Sharon Stone joined more than 150 stars, including Holly Willoughby, Sir Rod Stewart and wife Penny Lancaster, Paddy Mcguinness, Simon Cowell and Sir Mo Farah in celebrating the heroism and bravery of this year’s winners.
The gongs were handed out at a glitzy event hosted by Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo at London’s Grosvenor House hotel.
But it was the team that pioneered the ground-breaking Covid jab who took centre stage as they picked up a Special Recognition Prize for developing the vaccine in record time.
The Oxford University scientists worked 16-hour days in a race against time to find an effective inoculation – and their dedication was rewarded in style last night.
Six representatives from the research team accepted the honour after their huge effort to develop the fastest vaccine ever made.
Dr Sandy Douglas, who was the brains behind the process of mass
‘Partner told me: Yeah, that’s great but calm down’
developing the Oxford jab, said: “Everyone worked unbelievably hard, I worked my guts out, and it was quite hard to explain to people around us what we were doing – my parents and my partner thought I was pathologically deranged.
“It was very hard to explain to people and get them to believe that we might actually be developing a vaccine quicker than had ever been seen before.
“At the time, it just sounded mad. I remember my family, and my partner telling me: ‘Yeah, that’s great, but calm down – take some time off.’”
Thankfully, Dr Douglas didn’t have a day off for six months – and because of his team’s dedication, careful planning and logistics, they created the vaccine in record time.
Their work, however, did not come without huge sacrifices.
Professor Teresa Lambe, who codesigned the jab, admitted: “There were times I worried my children didn’t remember who I was.”
And her colleague, Professor Cath Green, who manufactured it, said: “The university went into lockdown and we were living off the vending machines.”
She joked: “I was eating Mini Cheddars and Bounty bars, which I think is two of your five a day.”
After a remarkable few months, the vaccine was ready – the team’s scientific brilliance had managed to condense what is usually 10 years’ work into less than a year, without cutting any corners.
Dr Douglas said: “To receive this Pride of Britain award and get this recognition as a team means a lot, because more than anything it really was the most amazing teamwork.”
A part-time firefighter who risked his life to save a teenager who fell into icy water was another honoured last night.
Thirteen-year-old Kacper Krauze had been trying to swim across the
River Eden in Appleby-in-westmorland, Cumbria, in February 2019, when he sank to the bottom and was saved by fire and rescue crew manager Stephen wharton.
The 53-year-old went against protocol and took off his safety gear to pull Kacper, who had been submerged for 25 minutes, to safety.
Mr Wharton received the This Morning Emergency Services award during the prestigious ceremony.
Also among the winners were Hughie Higginson, 10, and Freddie Xavi, 11, who raised more than £200,000 after Hughie was diagnosed with leukaemia. This year’s Special Recognition award went to Gee Walker, 67, from Liverpool, to honour her devotion to promoting racial harmony.
Her 18-year-old son Anthony was murdered with an ice axe in a racist attack by Michael Barton, brother of ex-manchester City footballer Joey, and his cousin Paul Taylor in 2005.
A year after his death, his mother created the Anthony Walker Foundation to combat racism, hate crime and discrimination.
● The Pride of Britain Awards will be on ITV on Thursday at 8pm.