Multi-award-winning songwriter and musician Karine Polwart and leading technology entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl feature as two of this year’s winners of the 30th annual Fletcher of Saltoun awards.
Organised by the Saltire Society, this honorary award is presented annually to inspiring Scots in recognition of their outstanding contribution to Scotland’s culture and society.
This year’s award ceremony took place at the Saltire Society’s headquarters on the Royal Mile and also featured internationally recognised healthcare academic Professor Graham Watt and highly valued contributor to Scotland’s voluntary sector, Fiona Duncan.
The four individuals have each been awarded the 2018 Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Award in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the fields of science, the arts and public life.
Since being launched in 1988, the Fletcher of Saltoun Awards have continued to celebrate the unique contribution to Scottish society of a wide variety of recipients. The awards celebrate the legacy of Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, a seventeenth century Scottish writer and politician and a keen patron of the arts during his lifetime. The members of the Saltire Society are encouraged to support and to put forward nominations for any of the awards.
Songwriter and musician Karine Polwart, one of Scotland’s most popular traditional folk artists, has been recognised for her contribution to the Arts and Humanities. A four times winner at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and inaugural winner of Scots singer of the year at the Scots Trad Music Awards, Polwart has also campaigned on issues including nuclear disarmament, mental health, children’s rights and domestic abuse. Karine’s award was picked up by her parents (top).
Professor Graham Watt CBE FRSE (above) is an academic who has had a distinguished career in academic general practice and public health, mostly spent at the University of Glasgow, and who founded the Deep End movement to develop professional support for GPs and their teams looking after the most socio-economically deprived people in Scotland. He has received the Fletcher of Saltoun Award in recognition of his contribution to science.
Also collecting an award for his contribution to science, Chris van der Kuyl (above) grew his first business, VIS entertainment, out of a bedroom in Dundee before going on to become a global player in the creation of leading-edge entertainment property for the technology and media sectors. He is also a champion of enterprise education in Scottish schools, colleges and universities and has been a past chairman of Young Enterprise Scotland.
CEO of the Corra Foundation, formerly the Lloyds TSB Scotland Foundation, Fiona Duncan (above) has received an award in recognition of her contribution to public life. Duncan was recently invited by the Scottish Government to head up the Independent Care Review, an in-depth review of the care system in Scotland. She also oversees activities in Scotland with the Kilfinan Group, which provides mentors to heads of charities across the country and is one of Comic Relief’s UK Grants Committee members.
Commenting on receiving the award, Karine Polwart said: “Thank you to the Saltire Society for this recognition of my work as a musician, writer and performer living in Scotland.
“Everything I make draws breath from a network of creative collaborators, pals and peers. And from the untold stories and hidden histories of others, as well as the overlooked places and messy political and ethical complexities of today’s Scotland. So, I accept the award with gratitude for all of that too.”
Professor Graham Watt CBE FRSE, commented: “I am delighted to accept the Fletcher of Saltoun Award as recognition for my work in academic general practice and public health over the years.
“It’s a thrill to be recognised outside your discipline, especially by the Saltire Society with its aim of celebrating Scottish imagination. It’s a privilege to have worked with and been inspired by general practitioners working in Scotland’s poorest areas. This is a great honour and I would like to thank everyone who has played a part in making today such a special event. Congratulations also to three other very worthy award winners.”
Chris van der Kuyl, said: “I am so pleased to receive this award and would like to say a huge thanks to the Saltire Society for including me in such a prestigious list of past winners over the past 30 years.
“It’s a particular honour to be able to share a platform with the three inspiring individuals who have also received an award today.”
Fiona Duncan commented: “I am constantly inspired the commitment of children, young people and adults to make Scotland a better place and so it is very humbling to receive the Saltire Society award for my contribution to public life.
“This came as such a surprise and I’d really like to thank everyone involved. I’d also like to congratulate fellow winners, each one of whom I know has made such a special contribution to Scottish society. Thank you so much.”
Saltire Society Programme Director, Sarah Mason said: “This year is the 30th anniversary of the Fletcher of Saltoun Awards, making this year’s awards ceremony a particularly special event for the Saltire Society.
“These awards offer a unique opportunity to celebrate the special contribution the recipients have made to Scottish society, be that in the field of science, the arts or public life. I would like to congratulate all four of this year’s very deserving winners.”
The Fletcher of Saltoun awards is just one part of an annual programme of events and awards organised by the Saltire Society.
Further events taking place over the next few months include Outstanding Women of Scotland, the Saltire Infrastructure Awards and the Saltire Literary Awards, taking place on St Andrew’s Day, the 30th November.
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