CHRIS Evans donated £25k to one of The Sun's Who Cares Wins health awards' nominees on his Virgin Radio show this morning.
The presenter, 53, gave the huge sum of money to the Swan Song Project, run by Ben Slack – who was recognised at last night's star-studded awards.
Ben, 29, set up the project in 2016 after his grandmother passed away and he was inspired to help the dying and their loved ones write their own songs.
Student Rebecca Scott- Davis, 18, nominated the guitar player, from Leeds, for our award after her own grandmother, Oma, died from breast cancer in February.
She said the song she wrote with Ben, How Can We Forget, has been life changing. Rebecca said: “It helped massively with the grief process.
Oma loved music and before she passed away she asked me, ‘You won’t forget me, will you?’
“The song was raw to work on but I’m so proud of how it ended up and that is thanks to Ben.
“He didn’t dictate anything, he just helped me figure it out. My mum cried when she heard it.” Ben, pictured with Rebecca, is trying to get the project rolled out nationwide.
He said: “The nomination has come as such a surprise but hopefully it will help the project to spread.
“Music can be so powerful, so healing – the process of creating something which will live on after someone dies is a privilege to be part of.”
Chris was joined by a host of celebrities including Boris Johnson at last night's awards to honour inspiring NHS workers.
Who Cares Wins Awards: The winners
BEST HEALTH CHARITY
Nominees: Superhero Foundation
Team Domenica
Winner: Matt Hampson Foundation
Former English rugby union player Matt Hampson set up a charity to help others after being left paralysed in a scrum in 2005.
BEST NEONATAL SPECIALIST
Nominees: Dr Vesna Pavasovic
Professor Massimo Caputo
Winner: Professor Kypros Nicolaides
Professor Nicolaides performed pioneering keyhole surgeon on Sherrie Sharp’s unborn son Jaxon. By extraordinary coincidence, as a young surgeon, he also operated on Sherrie’s mother when she was in the womb.
UNSUNG HERO
Nominees: Ben Slack
Rob Allen
Winner: Therapeutic Care Volunteers at South Tees NHS Foundation Trust
30 therapeutic care volunteers, who all have a learning of physical disability, give up their time to support patients with spinal injuries at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. They include Ify Nwokoro.
GROUNDBREAKING PIONEER
Nominees: Dr Helen Spencer
Girish Vajramani
Winner: Guy’s and St Thomas’ London Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) Service
Leia Armitage, eight, was born with a rare form of deafness and was never expected to speak. But she now can thanks to pioneering brain surgery and speech therapy carried out by Guy’s and St Thomas’ London Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) Service.
BEST DOCTOR
Nominees: Margaret France
Dr Bijay Sinha
Winner: Dr Matthew Boulter
Dr Boulter served in Afghanistan, teaches wild trauma to army medics and his surgery became the first in Cornwall to be given veteran friendly accreditation.
BEST MIDWIFE
Nominees: Charlotte Day
Nagmeh Teymourian
Winner: Jane Parke
Jane helped deliver the youngest surviving twin boys in Britain when they were born at 22 weeks last year. She flew 190 miles with their mum Jennie Powell to a specialist neonatal unit.
ULTIMATE LIFESAVER
Nominees: Dr Mark Forrest
Mike Merrett
Winner: Ruth Lowe and Nick Evans
Porters Ruth and Nick saved the life of Sarah and Mike Clifford’s seven-week-old baby Logan. He stopped breathing as they walked through the main entrance of The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford to visit a sick relative.
BEST NURSE
Nominees: Margaret Ballard
Carlton DeCosta
Winner: Liz Monaghan
Liz is the Matron of the Florence Nightingale Hospice in Aylesbury, Bucks, and came up with the idea for the widely praised Purple Rose initiative to improve the care for patients in the last days of their lives.
MENTAL HEALTH HERO
Nominees: Beth Gregan
Catherine Benfield
Winner: Ben West
Ben lost his brother Sam, 15, to suicide last year and since his death, has campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness for mental health.
YOUNG HERO
Nominees: Bella Field
Kaitlyn Wright
Winner: Ronnie Musselwhite
Ronnie offered to help his sister Ebonie by giving her a bone marrow transplant when she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. Ebonie nominated her brother for his bravery before she died in June.
Chris entertained the audience with a game of NHS A to Z, before presenting the award for Best Nurse to Liz Monaghan.
Turning to Health Secretary, for letter 'J', Matt Hancock replied: "Junior doctor."
Chris quipped: "Junior doctor, well done Matt Hancock, boom. That will build a few bridges."
The Prime Minister praised the "world class" staff, doctors and nurses, who make up the health service, adding they have the "fanatical support" of No 10.
Mr Johnson said: "My experience of the NHS is like everybody in this room – it's one of devotion, admiration and love.
"It's the most extraordinary institution in the world and it brings our country together.
"If our country was a complicated omelette, the NHS is the egg white that holds the great British cake together.
"It is a uniquely British thing."
He presented the award for Ultimate Lifesaver to NHS porters Nick Evans and Ruth Lowe after they saved a seven-week-old baby Logan Clifford.
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