Rebecca Richardson, Research Fellow in Communication Aspects of Infectious Disease Risk Reduction at Northumbria University, Newcastle, carrying out research in Nairobi A Disaster Management expert from Northumbria University, Newcastle who spent last summer managing a support line for people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire, has received royal recognition for her work.
Rebecca Richardson spent three months working for the British Red Cross, managing an emergency support line set up to deal with a number of major incidents across the UK.
These included the Manchester Arena terrorist attack last May and the London bridge terrorist attack and Grenfell Fire tragedy in June, with thousands of calls made by people effected by all three incidents.
In recognition of her commitment, Rebecca, an expert in Disaster Management and Emergency Planning, was among the guests invited to Prince Charles’ 70th birthday party at Buckingham Palace last week.
After being specifically selected by the Red Cross to manage the support line, which was set up last May following the Manchester Arena bombing, Rebecca worked to support the 70 volunteers and five members of staff manning the phone lines.
Many of the calls received were from the families of those who lost their lives in the three incidents, or those who had witnessed them take place and required support.
Rebecca was nominated by the British Red Cross to attend the garden party, which took place at the Palace on Tuesday 22 May.
Rebecca joined Northumbria University’s Faculty of Engineering and Environment in September, as a Research Fellow in Communication Aspects of Infectious Disease Risk Reduction. She is working with North East charity No Strings International, which uses puppets to create films for children in emergencies around the world, with the aim of raising awareness of issues around health and wellbeing.
She is currently researching the impact of the project in Kenya, where the charity is working with children in five schools in the slums of Nairobi, raising awareness of the importance of personal hygiene such as hand washing, and of clean water.
Northumbria University is home to the Disaster and Development Network, which aims to develop through research, teaching and learning, the knowledge and skills to address hazards, disasters and complex emergencies from the perspective of different development debates and experience.
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