Portsmouth woman to receive recognition for lifesaving suicide prevention work
A Portsmouth woman is set to receive an honorary doctorate
A Portsmouth woman is set to receive an honorary doctorate today for her lifesaving work in suicide prevention.
Alice Hendy MBE created digital tool, R;pple, which intercepts harmful online searches and gives immediate mental health support.
She will receive her honorary doctorate today from the University of Portsmouth.
She said: "I was totally overwhelmed and shocked when I got the email through.
"I really couldn't believe it.
"I'm blown away.
"Portsmouth University is my local university so it's extra special.
"Portsmouth University have also adopted and implemented the R;pple technology across their whole system to safeguard their students.
"So they've got behind me and the R;pple charity from the very beginning.
"I'm really looking forward to picking up the doctorate tomorrow and to meeting some of the other students that have all worked so hard for years on end to achieve their various accolades.
"I'm just grateful to be a part of it really."
She created the software after her brother, Josh's suicide in 2020.
She said: "It blows my mind that this was an idea that I had in my bedroom in the depths of grief.
"To be honest, after losing Josh and at that stage, I remember saying to my parents, if I could help one person to stop them from doing what Josh did and to get them the support they need, I would be really pleased with that."
The software has intervened in over 100,000 crisis moments worldwide so far and has been downloaded over two million times in 49 different countries.
She added: "I believe it's a lifesaving intervention.
"I truly believe that if something like R;pple had been in existence five years ago, my brother would still be here."