Geordie-Nigerian historian and broadcaster David Olusoga, comedian Bobby Pattinson and former council leader Mick Henry are now Freemen of the Borough of Gateshead.
The Freedom of the Borough is the highest honour Gateshead Council can bestow and has roots in ancient Rome.
Mr Olusoga is being recognised for his contribution to academia and Mr Henry for his 33 years as a local councillor. The honours were officially announced at full council on Thursday, November 24.
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Mr Olusoga arrived in Gateshead with his family aged five. He still has a deep love for the region despite his encounters with racism as a child and teenager which eventually forced his family to move.
David said: "It is wonderful to be honoured by my home town this way. I'm from a generation who were told to get on our bikes.
"A generation too many of whom had to leave the North East for work. But like most of that generation, I am a reluctant exile and remain deeply connected to the region in which I was brought up."
David came to national attention with a series of successful television shows and documentaries including, A House Through Time, Civilisations, and Our NHS: A Hidden History. He was made an OBE in 2019.
Comedian Bobby Pattinson was born in Gateshead and has lived in the town throughout his life. Having become the youngest sergeant in the army, he went on to get his first break in showbusiness when he won a national competition in London.
He has since gone on to perform across the world, rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in showbiz.
He has also dedicated much of his time to raising money for Variety, a children’s charity, and was awarded their highest honour ‘The Silver Heart’ in 2014 in recognition of him having personally raised over £100,000 for the cause.
Mick Henry was a councillor for Saltwell for 30 years and spent the last 14 of those as leader of the council.
During his tenure, he oversaw the opening of the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts and Sage Gateshead. He is also a senior lecturer in photography at Northumbria University.
Mick said: "This honour means so much to me and I will always treasure it. As the leader of the council, I often spoke about the 'Gateshead Family', and I can't overstate how grateful I am to have been, and remain, a part of the family.
"The people of Gateshead allowed me, and those I worked alongside, to develop a vision for the borough and strive towards making it a reality. I'm deeply rooted in Gateshead, as is my family, past and present.
"I'm fiercely proud of those roots and I cannot imagine any honour that could mean more to me or to my parents, who were also labour councillors, than being awarded the Freedom of Gateshead."
A ceremony celebrating the new Freeman will take place in 2023.
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