Annie Lennox receives honorary degree from Edinburgh University

The University of Edinburgh has awarded the Scottish musician Annie Lennox an honorary degree in a ceremony at the Playfair Library.

The honorary doctorate acknowledges the Scottish singer’s significant contributions to HIV/AIDS and human rights activism.

On receiving the award, Dr Lennox thanked the university for the degree, saying: “To be recognised for who I am and the work that I’ve done is just a deep thing for me, it is incredibly significant.”

The singer has been actively involved in HIV/AIDS campaigning for many years. As far back as 1990, Dr Lennox contributed to the ‘Red Hot + Blue’ compilation, recognised as one of the first ever large-scale musical HIV/AIDS benefits.

She also founded her own activist group, SING, in 2007, which “helps prevent the spread of HIV in South Africa, and also supports those currently living with HIV”.

Dr Lennox has also been a global ambassador for Oxfam since 2005.

During her stay at the university, the singer helped to publicise a study undertaken by the university’s own School of Social and Political Science.

The study investigated the requirements of children living in Scotland who are affected by HIV/AIDS.

Professor Viviene Cree, Professor of Social Work Studies, led the study. The research involved interviews with 48 people, ranging from practitioners to carers, parents and children.

As a result of the findings, the study is pushing for more help to be given to children affected by the virus.

Professor Cree hoped that by publicising the study with the help of “high profile” Lennox, it “will encourage people in Scotland to realise that HIV remains an issue.

“So we hope that people will start talking about HIV again and thinking what might be done to help.”

According to statistics, despite improvement of prevention and treatment, the number of children in Scotland affected by HIV/AIDS has remained stable throughout the last ten years.