Harborough parents receive award from Prime Minister for raising awareness of the problem of stalking

The Prime Minister has recognised the work of Dr Sue Hills and Professor Clive Ruggles, from Tur Langton, for their tireless campaigning through the Alice Ruggles Trust.

In a personal letter to Sue and Clive, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “The loss of your daughter, Alice, at such a young age and in such devastating circumstances is beyond comprehension.

“By creating ‘The Alice Ruggles Trust’, you have responded to this personal tragedy with incredible strength and determination.”

In a statement, Sue and Clive said: “We are hugely grateful to receive this award, which gives us a real boost in our efforts to help prevent what happened to Alice happening to others.

“It is wonderful to know that the Prime Minister gives her personal support to what we are doing.”

The Alice Ruggles Trust was set up after the death in Gateshead of their daughter Alice, aged 24, at the hands of her obsessive ex-boyfriend.

The Trust raises awareness of stalking, coercive control and domestic abuse through education and teaching.

Clive and Sue have worked with the Crown Prosecution Service, the Police, and the Home Office to improve how stalking is recorded through the National Crime Registrar and have also campaigned for the Stalking Protection Bill.

The Points of Light award recognises outstanding volunteers who are making a change in their community and inspiring others.

Sue and Clive were presented with their awards by Harborough MP Neil O’Brien at the House of Commons.

He said: “Sue and Clive have shown incredible courage and fortitude. It was a pleasure recently to speak in favour of and pass the Stalking Protection Bill. But there is much more to do, and the work of the Trust is extremely important.”

Sue and Clive added: “There is so much do both to raise public awareness of the dangers of coercive control and stalking, particularly among young people, and to ensure that the authorities react in the right way when cases come to their attention.

“We can’t imagine that we could have achieved anything like as much to date without the fantastic support of everyone who has been working with us at the Trust, as well as many remarkable colleagues in related charities.”