The University of Nottingham

As she accepted one of The University of Nottingham’s special excellence awards at the 2012 Alumni Laureate Awards, Mary Williams OBE (English 1989) turned to the Vice-Chancellor Professor David Greenaway, and thanked him for his perfect university.

“I am absolutely wedded to this University,” she continued. “Anything I wanted to do, I could do here. It’s a place that’s got its feet firmly on the ground and its brain in the sky and that’s what makes it such a perfect university. I praise you to the skies with everyone I meet and I will continue to do so.”

Former transport news journalist Mary, pictured above, founded the charity Brake in 1995 and has grown it to become one of the leading road safety organisations in the UK. Brake supports families bereaved and injured by road crashes and lobbies to defend and support key roads safety measures.

Introduced in 2007, The University of Nottingham Alumni Laureate Awards provide a tangible way for the University to recognise alumni who have achieved excellence in their chosen field.

Distinguished alumnus Edgar Wallner (Pharmacy 1958), himself an Alumni Laureate award-winner, was compere. He brought the ceremony to a close, saying: “I’ve rarely heard so many inspiring stories in the course of one evening. One thing is clear, all our winners seem to think they have to give something back, both to society and to the University, and they are clearly as grateful as I am for the start this great University gave them.”

For a full list of winners visit: http://tiny.cc/AlumniLaureate12.

If you know someone who you think deserves an award then please let us know via: alumni-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk.