Iconic singer-songwriter and campaigner Annie Lennox spoke of a beautiful but broken world as she accepted an honorary lifetime award.
There are billions of good people on our planet who don’t want to fight, she said.
Aberdeen-born Annie was recognised for her commitment to change lives with an outstanding lifetime achievement award.
The Eurythmics hitmaker and legendary solo artist has been a key campaigner in the fight against HIV and AIDS. She has also spoken up for women’s rights across the globe.
Annie received the accolade from The Multicultural Business and Community Champion awards, (https://mbccawards.com) now in their eighth year.
The multi award-winning singer dedicates much of her time to raising awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa as well as raising funds and awareness to tackle violence against women.
More recently she has called for “swift and full” compensation to victims of the Windrush scandal, backing families who say they were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, deported or threatened with deportation by the Home Office.
MBCC founder Zoe Bennett said: “We are proud of recognising true heroes who bring real meaning and a force for good within their communities.
“When it comes to Annie, you can see our whole world is her community. It has been for decades since she appeared on stage at the Nelson Mandela 70th birthday party back in 1988 and became an activist through her SING foundation.
“She is a very special and inspiring lady, a powerhouse in making things happen. She is a tireless campaigner for human rights and social justice and has inspired meaningful improvements globally.
Our lifetime achievement award recognises an individual’s outstanding continuous contribution that has a lasting impact on others. This individual displays an exceptionally positive impact on the life of others time and time again.”
Annie has led impactful initiatives to reduce worldwide violence against women. “That’s why she is the beneficiary of this award and we are hugely grateful she has accepted it so gracefully.”
On accepting the award, in a video message to the star-studded ceremony, Annie said: “It’s such an amazing thing to be given an award like this. I don’t do what I do to receive awards. It’s not about this, it’s a private thing. I really appreciate this.”
Annie also spoke of her drive to help build a better world.
She said: “It’s a desire to make a positive contribution to this world, that is sometimes so completely broken and so beautiful at the same time.
“There are millions and billions of us, good people that want to create bridges not gaps. We don’t want to fight each other. I’m just one of them.”
Annie joins previous winners Baroness Floella Benjamin and Sir Trevor McDonald in receiving the MBCC Lifetime Achievement award.
The MBCC awards were set up in 2016 with the sole purpose of recognising and valuing inspirational people nationally. This year’s awards were presented on Saturday, November 30 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, National Exhibition