Alice Hendy
Alice Hendy MBE | |
|---|---|
Alice Hendy in 2025 | |
| Occupation | Suicide prevention campaigner |
| Known for | Founder of Ripple Suicide Prevention (2021) |
| Awards | Member of the Order of the British Empire (2023) |
Alice Hendy MBE is a British suicide prevention campaigner and the founder of the Ripple Suicide Prevention charity. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to suicide prevention and online safety.[1]
Early life and education
Hendy is based in the United Kingdom. Her younger brother, Josh, died by suicide in 2020 after viewing harmful online content.[2][3] This led her to found the Ripple Suicide Prevention charity.[4]
Founding Ripple Suicide Prevention
In 2021, Hendy founded the Ripple Suicide Prevention charity.[5] The charity provides a digital tool to support online safety and mental health.
In 2025, the organisation was recognised with the King's Award for Enterprise in the category of Innovation.[6] In 2025, Hendy received the Centre for Social Justice from England manager Sir Gareth Southgate in recognition of her work.[7]
Hendy is a life-long supporter of premier league football club West Ham United F.C. and the club has worked with Ripple Suicide Prevention extensively since its founding.[8][9]
Recognition and honours
In 2021, Hendy received the Entrepreneur of Excellence Award at the National Diversity Awards, recognising her work to promote digital safety and mental health equity.[10]
In 2023, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to suicide prevention.[11] Specifically, the award recognised her founding of the Ripple Suicide Prevention charity and campaigning for wider recognition of the importance of suicide prevention and intervention.
In 2024, Hendy was named Computing magazine's Woman of the Year at the Women in Tech Excellence Awards for her work in digital mental health.[12] Additionally, she was named one of Computer Weekly’s Women in UK Tech Rising Stars for 2024. The publication cited her contribution to online safety.[13]
In 2025, Hendy was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from her alma mater, University of Portsmouth. Announcing the award, the University noted: 'The University is also proud to honour remarkable individuals whose work directly impacts local and national communities, including suicide prevention campaigner Alice Hendy MBE - whose life-saving digital intervention has intercepted over 100,000 harmful online searches worldwide.' [14] Hendy received her award at the same time as notable others, including Tim Campbell and Sabrina Dhowre Elba.
Media appearances
Hendy has been featured in national UK media, including the BBC, Sky News, ITV, and newspapers such as the Daily Mirror and The Independent, in relation to suicide prevention and digital safety.[15] She was also a featured speaker at the 2023 TEDxNHS event, delivering a talk on digital tools for suicide prevention.[16]
References
- ^ "The King's Birthday Honours List 2023". BBC News. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "'I couldn't save my brother from suicide – but my game-changing tech could save others'". Sky News. 16 February 2021.
- ^ ""My brother died by suicide. I want to spread awareness of when someone is struggling"". www.stylist.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ "'Life and soul of the party' - Tribute after death of Josh aged 21". Daily Echo. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ "My brother took his life after Googling ways to do it - so I created an online tool to save others". Daily Mirror. 9 September 2021.
- ^ "King's Awards for Enterprise 2025 Winners". London Gazette (embedded PDF). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
Ripple Suicide Prevention, led by Alice Hendy, is listed as a 2025 award recipient in the Innovation category on page 42 of the embedded brochure.
- ^ ""We're truly honoured" - Pioneering and innovative charity wins national award". The News. 2025-11-19. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ "United By More | Ripple Suicide Prevention - West Ham United FC". whufc.com. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ Victor, Tom (2022-09-23). "West Ham partner with suicide prevention tool after death of 21-year-old fan". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ "Alice Hendy – Entrepreneur of Excellence Award Winner 2021". National Diversity Awards. 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "The King's Birthday Honours List 2023". BBC News. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2024: Winners announced". Computing. Incisive Media. 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Computer Weekly's Women in UK Tech Rising Stars 2024". Computer Weekly. TechTarget. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "University of Portsmouth celebrates inspirational figures with Honorary Doctorates at 2025 graduation". University of Portsmouth. 2025-07-21. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ "'I couldn't save my brother from suicide – but my game-changing tech could save others'". Sky News. 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Alice Hendy". TEDxNHS. Retrieved 15 July 2025.