11/01/2008
Bob Geldof Awarded Honorary Music Degree.
Former Boomtown Rat and charity campaigner Bob Geldof has been awarded an honorary doctorate for his contribution to music and humanitarian causes.
Geldof - the driving force behind the 1985 Live Aid event - addressed science graduates of the University of East London as he received the degree.
"I actually thought you were going to be a bunch of musos, it turns out you're geeks," he joked.
The ceremony was held at the Barbican Centre in central London.
Irish national Geldof - who co-wrote the Band Aid charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (with Midge Ure) - told the audience that east London was a meeting place for London's immigrants.
"So it's great to come here and see this mix of people now all amazingly well-qualified," he said.
Twenty years after the Live Aid concerts, Geldof helped to organise the Live 8 project which sought to raise awareness of issues which affect Africa.
He was joined at the degree ceremony on Monday by students from the university's science and technology departments.
Photo: mirror.co.uk
Material: news.bbc.co.uk