Radcliffe born director Danny Boyle, Bury based band Elbow and Paralympian Zoë Robinson are set to be given the Freedom of the Borough in recognition of their outstanding individual successes over the past year.

Guy Garvey, Mark Potter, Craig Potter, Richard Jupp and Pete Turner from, the Mercury Award and Brit Award winning band Elbow, formed at Bury College in the mid 1990s and all have roots in the town.

Zoe Robinson, lives in the north of the borough and attends Boccia training sessions at Bury’ Castle Leisure Centre on a regular basis.

Oscar winning film director, Danny Boyle grew up in Radcliffe and his family still live in the town.

Borough Councils can confer the status of Honorary Freemen of the Borough on  persons of distinction and those who have rendered eminent services to the Borough. This is carried out at a specially convened meeting of the full Council, where the Freeman are presented with the honour.

The Freedom is the highest tribute that a Borough can bestow and although in modern times it is an honour only and does not confer any legal rights, Honorary Freemen are invariably invited to take part in all important ceremonial occasions in the Borough.

The proposals are currently being drawn up so that they can be put before a special meeting of Bury Council for approval.

In recent times this honour had been bestowed on long serving councillors who had served in excess of 30 years on Bury Council. The last time the status of honorary freeman was bestowed was on former Councillor Bill “Mr Tottington” Johnson. 

Personally I can think of no finer local examples of hard work, endeavour and the pursuit of excellence than these recipients.