Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Getting star treatment
Big names come out in force to pay tribute to the courage and sacrifices of our winners, making for an unforgettable, glamorous celebration of all that’s best about Scotland
IT was a moment that summed up the spirit at the heart of the Pride of Scotland Awards.
Paying tribute to the man who saved her life, Lynne Robertson said: “I wouldn’t be here with my husband and my daughter if it wasn’t for Gerry. I owe you my life, Gerry. I love you.”
Gerry Morrison, 72, risked his own life to tackle a knifeman who was attacking Lynn at the housing office where she worked.
His incredible courage is just one of the awe-inspiring examples of heroism in the unmissable show on STV Player, hosted by Nicky Campbell and Kirsty Gallacher at iconic Hopetoun House on the banks of the Forth.
The Daily Record Pride of Scotland Awards, in partnership with TSB, see dozens of our biggest stars honour unsung heroes young and old. As well as truly inspirational winners, the show is packed with uplifting and emotional moments and celebrity surprises.
Jamie Mccallum is lost for words when TV chef Gordon Ramsay interrupts a romantic lunch with wife Victoria to tell him he has won the TSB Community Hero award. The dad created a viral video to raise awareness of Down syndrome, which was so successful, it blossomed into a charity, Wouldn’t Change A Thing. He was congratulated by TV star James Corden.
And Teenager of Courage Lily Douglas is open-mouthed when her dance idols AJ and Curtis Pritchard perform a routine just for her to reveal she is a winner.
Lily’s smile lit up the stage at the awards, where she received her trophy from legendary choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips. Singer and TV presenter Alesha Dixon also told Lily: “I can’t think of anyone that deserves this award more. I love you.”
Other stars honouring winners included Rangers boss and former England star Steven Gerrard and actor Martin Clunes who told 10-year-old Aaron Hunter, the first child in the world to receive a pioneering ‘heart-ina-box’ transplant, how his courage had inspired them.
The show features some of the biggest faces from rock and pop, including Sir Cliff Richard, Britpop icons Jarvis Cocker from Pulp and Blur’s Alex James, along with Sharleen Spiteri, Annie Lennox and Midge Ure.
Midge presented the Prince’s Trust Young Achiever award to Olivia Blackburn, who overcame mental and physical health challenges, and personal tragedy, to devote her life to caring for others.
Sporting legends in the show include Celtic trio Sir Kenny Dalglish, John Hartson and Paul Lambert, Scots F1 icon Sir Jackie Stewart and rugby hero Doddie Weir, who won an award last year for his inspirational battle against
motor neurone disease. And a Who’s Who of TV includes Bake Off’s Prue Leith, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Bear Grylls, Sir Trevor Mcdonald and chat show queen Lorraine Kelly.
But the true stars of the show are the winners, who will inspire viewers with their courage, selflessness and modesty.
They also include Karen Morrison, who founded a charity to help siblings separated by the care system forge invaluable family ties, and Dr Kenneth Baillie, a leading light in the fight against Covid-19, who carried out vital research into treatments while working on the critical care frontline.
Teenager Brynn Hauxwell pushed himself 1,700 miles in his wheelchair in an utterly gruelling fundraising challenge, and police officers Lisa Macpherson and David Fraser carried out a breathtaking rescue from a burning car.
The People’s Award went to the Scotland men’s football team, who qualified for their first tournament for 23 years. Accepting the award on behalf of the team, manager Steve Clarke said: “I know what it meant to the country to have the team back on the big stage. What we saw from the fans at Hampden and Wembley, and the excitement generated in schools and communities all across the country, I’m proud that we’ve played a role in reconnecting the country through the national game.”
And Sir Godfrey Palmer, Scotland’s first black professor and a lifelong campaigner against inequality and racism, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award.
Paying tribute, Sir Trevor Mcdonald told him: “You are such an inspiration to us all.”
They are words that could apply to every one of the winners on a magical and uplifting night.