Slumdog director is made freeman

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Danny Boyle received the Freedom of Bury along with Guy Garvey, frontman of band Elbow

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle has been made a freeman of his home town in Greater Manchester.

The 52-year-old Slumdog Millionaire director, from Radcliffe, Bury, has been awarded the civic honour by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council.

Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars, including Boyle's best director award and the coveted best picture prize.

Members of the band Elbow and Paralympian Zoe Robinson were also awarded the Freedom of the Borough.

Each person selected for the honour attended a ceremony at Bury Town Hall.

Individual success

Only 23 others have received the honour in the last century.

Mr Boyle said: "Obviously this doesn't mean I don't have to pay to go on trams or anything like that but it is the spirit in which it is given, of course it means a lot."

Elbow formed at Bury College in the mid-1990s and won the Mercury Prize last year. They were recently named best British band at the Brit awards.

We are really proud of all of these individuals' outstanding achievements Bob Bibby, leader of Bury Council

The band's lead singer, Guy Garvey, said: "The people of Bury are giving us something back, they are proud of what we have done."

Miss Robinson, 19, won a gold medal as part of a four-strong British boccia team at the Beijing Olympics. She practices at a local leisure centre.

Council leader Bob Bibby said: "Danny Boyle, Elbow's and Zoe Robinson's successes over the past 12 months have really put the borough of Bury on the map, both nationally and internationally.

"We are really proud of all of these individuals' outstanding achievements.

"This is the council's way of congratulating them all on their recent successes."