Lily Cole gets Glasgow Caledonian honorary degree

ACTRESS and model Lily Cole has been honoured for her environmental and humanitarian work.

Lily Cole received an honorary degree from Caledonian University. Picture: PA

The 25-year-old received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from Glasgow Caledonian University today, two years after she graduated from Cambridge University, an experience that she described as “quite different”.

She said: “It is pretty fun, I was quite surprised at first and very honoured and then a bit nervous but now I’m here and it actually just feels quite jolly.

“Cambridge was three years with an end goal in mind so it was quite different. In some ways this feels like I have done less work for this because there hasn’t been exams or dissertations, but I also feel like the work they are acknowledging has taken more energy than my degree did.”

Lily Cole received an honorary degree from Caledonian University. Picture: PA

The actress, who starred in a remake of St Trinian’s and Snow White, is an ambassador for a number of charities including Global Angels, WaterAid and the Environmental Justice Foundation.

She has modelled for the Save The Future campaign to fight child labour in the fashion industry and said she has always been interested in environmental and humanitarian issues.

“To be honest I think I would be inclined that way, regardless of having a public image,” Cole said.

“I think it is just an important part of being human, and then I just ended up in the weird position of having a public image and I thought seeing as I do I might as well combine those desires.”

Meanwhile, Olympic Gold medalist Katherine Grainger has continued an “amazing” year by collecting an honorary degree in her home city.

The rower received an honorary doctorate from Glasgow Caledonian University for her contribution to sport and to honour her public service and charity work.

The 37-year-old said: “Its amazing, I’ve had such a lovely time. I’m from Glasgow anyway, it’s always great to come back home and it’s such a privilege to get an honorary degree.

“It is not something you would expect and from my point of view as an athlete it is not something you can train for, it is just something that is given to you and you don’t really see it coming so it is really lovely to come back and get it.

“Last summer at the Olympics it was better than I could ever have hoped, after 15 years of hoping for that moment, it was just better than I could have ever have dreamt, absolutely genuinely wonderful.

“But honestly everyday since has been amazing. Because of the home Olympics, everyone in Britain seemed to love it, so everywhere I go I get to talk about it and share it, so it has kind of got enhanced as the months have gone by. It is lovely.”

After a busy year Grainger is yet to decide whether she will compete in the Rio 2016 Olympics.

“I am not competing this year for the British rowing team,” she said.

“Part of that was to make a decision and get a bit of perspective. But it has been so busy, I haven’t had time to start contemplating my life. So there is a big decision coming and I need to make it by September, but I’m not there yet.”