British Empire Medal ‘tops everything’, says charity fundraiser
Keith Armour, 46, started his charity work following the death of several family members in close succession.
A father who is no stranger to winning accolades for his fundraising work has said being awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) has “topped them all”.
Keith Armour, 46, from Livingston, West Lothian, has been recognised in the New Year Honours.
Mr Armour said he had been on a “bit of a downward trajectory” after losing several family members around 10 years ago when he decided to start fundraising.
He told the PA news agency: “I had lost some family members in a close succession. I had lost my mum, my gran and my uncle, which were like my core unit of family at the time.
“I was just in a bit of a downward trajectory so I just wanted to do something positive.”
With plans for a Christmas toy drive, Mr Armour contacted hospitals and hospices across Scotland, but the only one who got back in touch with him was Children’s Hospices Across Scotland’s (CHAS) Rachel House.
“I had hundreds and hundreds of toys donated by friends and family through social media,” he said.
“We went into the hospice, met the children, and Santa and all the costume characters handed out all of the presents.”
Dressed in Star Wars costumes, Mr Armour and his volunteers delivered the gifts and toured the hospice, and that was where his next fundraising idea came from – a charity science fiction convention.
Around 4,500 people from across the country attended the first Capital Sci-Fi Con, which was held at the Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh in 2016.
“We were just a bit blown away by the number of people who turned up,” he said.
He had wanted to raise around £7,000 for the charity at the event, but the final total was about £37,500.
Since the first event, Mr Armour’s efforts have raised around £360,000 for CHAS by hosting the convention annually.
He has since taken a back seat from organising the event and instead takes on an advisory role while he focuses on other voluntary projects, including running a men’s mental health group and supporting Dogs Trust.
Mr Armour’s work has been recognised previously, with fundraising awards from the Edinburgh Evening News and the West Lothian Courier.
In 2017, he was given the Points of Light award by then prime minister Theresa May for his outstanding contribution to charity and fundraising.
In 2020, he met Boris Johnson in Downing Street.
But Mr Armour said the BEM “tops everything”.
He said: “When I told my wife, she was close to tears.
“It was just such a shock to be reading what I was reading that I was going to be awarded the British Empire Medal.
“This just tops everything I’ve received in the past, it’s just unbelievable.”
