Award for Nicola Harteveld kept quiet to focus on charity work

MILFORD HAVEN campaigner Nicola Harteveld has been named one of the UK’s Top 100 Most Influential People for 2024—an accolade she kept secret for months to avoid drawing attention away from her team’s work.

The emotional award ceremony took place in Cardiff in March, but Harteveld, 44, only recently shared the news publicly. “I didn’t set out to influence—I set out to survive,” she said, dedicating the award to her daughter Megan, who died by suicide aged 14 after suffering cyberbullying.

“I’m still in disbelief,” Harteveld said as she accepted the award, “but I accept this for Megan, and for everyone in our community who believes in kindness and hope.”

The honour recognises individuals who have made a significant difference in British society. Harteveld was recognised for her work with Megan’s Starr Foundation, an anti-bullying charity she founded in memory of her daughter. The foundation has grown to become a leading grassroots voice on youth mental health in Wales.

Despite the national recognition, Harteveld said she didn’t want the award to overshadow recent projects in her home county. “We were busy opening The Dizzy Bear and our new support centre—that had to be the focus,” she said.

The Dizzy Bear, which opened earlier this year at Milford Waterfront, is more than just a café. Run as a social enterprise by the Megan’s Starr Foundation, it combines food, fun, and a mental health mission. Alongside waffles and street food, the café offers youth training schemes and a safe, welcoming space for those in need. Every purchase helps fund the charity’s free counselling and outreach services for vulnerable young people in Pembrokeshire.

“We’re unBEARlievably proud of what we’ve built,” said a spokesperson for the café. “This is about community, kindness, and giving young people a place to belong.”

Harteveld’s journey from personal tragedy to public impact has inspired people across Wales. Since losing Megan in 2018, she has devoted more than 40 hours a week to the foundation. In 2023, she was named Volunteer of the Year at the Welsh Charity Awards.

The charity’s motto—“Be kind”—comes from a note Megan wrote before her death, and has since sparked a movement in Pembrokeshire schools, encouraging empathy and mental health awareness.

From local coffee mornings to national talks, Harteveld has shared her story to highlight the dangers of bullying and the need for better support. “No young person should feel they have no choice but to end their life,” she said.

Volunteers with Megan’s Starr Foundation include those who’ve faced adversity themselves, offering peer mentorship and lived-experience counselling.

Organisers of the Top 100 Influential People list praised Harteveld’s dedication, saying she had turned heartbreak into hope and was “leading a quiet revolution” in youth mental health.

In Milford Haven, news of her award has been met with an outpouring of local pride. “This may have my name on it,” Harteveld said, “but it belongs to all of us—my team, our supporters, and of course Megan. We are just getting started.”