Owain Wyn Evans gets honorary doctorate at University of Bolton

Owain, a familiar face on BBC Breakfast and The One Show and a weather presenter across BBC regional shows including North West Tonight, took to the stage at the Albert Halls in Bolton town hall to show off his skills, while wearing a university graduation gown.

He told the audience: “I’ve never played the drums before in something like this!”

Professor George E Holmes DL, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Bolton, pledged to donate money to the appeal for Ukraine for every drum stroke, up to £1,000.

Owain was earlier on Saturday (July 16) awarded the degree of Doctor of Arts for his outstanding contribution to broadcasting.

He said: “It’s an absolute honour to receive this honorary doctorate. For me this has extra weight because I didn’t go to university when I was younger, and I always thought that one day I would love to have a degree, but it just didn’t work out that way for me.

“So, to receive this is something I could never have imagined in a thousand years. One thing I will say about this town and this university is that it reminds me of home.

“Congratulations to everyone who is graduating today."

Owain has dedicated himself to charitable causes, and notably completed a 24-hour drumming challenge for BBC Children in Need, raising more than £2.5 million.

Dr Helen Wall, who led the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Bolton during the pandemic, received the degree of Doctor of Health Care for her outstanding contribution to public health.

Dr Helen Wall

Dr Wall, who was born and raised in Bolton, said: “It’s a privilege to be standing here today to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton.”

In addition to her role as a GP Senior Partner, where she sees patients on a weekly basis, Dr Wall is Bolton CCG’s Clinical Director of Commissioning.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak began, Dr Wall has shown leadership as the Senior Responsible Officer for implementing Bolton’s response to the pandemic.

She said: “None of what has led me here today could have been done without many, many others.”

Dr Kondal Reddy Kandadi, former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Bolton, was presented with an honorary MBE at the Friday ceremony.

Professor Andy Hargreaves received the degree of Doctor of Education for his outstanding contribution to Global Higher Education.

Lifelong Burnley FC supporter Professor Hargreaves has lectured in several universities across the UK and Canada, and is presently the Director of Chenine (Change, Engagement and Innovation in Education) at the University of Ottawa.

Professor David Hargreaves received the degree of Doctor of Education for his outstanding contribution to Global Higher Education.

Graduates from the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the School of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences were presented with their degrees throughout the day.