OBE presented to Northampton charity chief at Windsor Castle ceremony
Sandra Currie, chief executive of national charity Kidney Research UK and a Northampton resident, has officially received her OBE from HRH The Prince of Wales this week at Windsor Castle.
Sandra was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the King’s New Year Honours, in recognition of her services to people affected by kidney disease.
With Sandra at the helm for more than 12 years, the charity has achieved significant growth, investing more than £71 million into research over the past decade, working to combat kidney disease in areas of health inequality and to influence national policy to secure earlier diagnoses and accelerate access to life-saving treatments.
There are 7.2 million people in the UK living with kidney disease, including over 80,000 Northamptonshire residents. There is an urgent need for action to improve awareness and tackle the rapidly rising numbers of patients, which Sandra has championed throughout her tenure.
“It was a very special moment,” said Sandra. “To represent the kidney community in such a setting was incredibly humbling. This honour helps raise the profile of a disease that affects one in ten people in the UK, can have devastating consequences for those who reach kidney failure, but is still overlooked. I’m grateful for the recognition, and more determined than ever to keep pushing for change.”
For more information about kidney disease and to take a free health check, visit https://www.kidneyresearchuk.org/