Honorary degree for Flo Clucas

FORMER Liverpool city councillor Flo Clucas, joins a Nobel prizewinner and a TV gardener this week in the University of Liverpool dishes out its special degrees.

The former Lib Dem deputy leader of Liverpool City Council is being recognised by the university for her role in helping to bring millions of pounds of European Objective One money to the city in 2001.

Ms Clucas stepped down as a councillor last year, after 26 years representing Allerton and Hunts Cross, and is currently an advisor to the Mayor of Liverpool on EU Funding.

Ness

Appointed as an OBE in 2005 for services to the community, she has also served as chair of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and as a board member of Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Science Park and the Council of the Chamber of Commerce.

Chris BeardshawOther star names among the seven to be honoured this week include award-winning garden designer and presenter, Chris Beardshaw, who is known for his BBC2 series Gardeners’ World, Hidden Gardens and The Flying Gardener. The RHS Gold Award-winner also created an international show garden at the University’s Ness Botanic Gardens.

Meanwhile Japanese Nobel Chemistry Prize winner Professor Ryoji Noyori  is president of RIKEN, Japan’s largest research institution and one of the university’s global research partners.  He received the Nobel Prize in 2001 for his work on hydrogenation reactions.

The three will be honoured alongside Oxford Professor and BBC presenter Marcus du Sautoy; former Chair of the Disability Rights Commission Sir Bert Massie; Liverpool-born ancient history scholar and British Academy Fellow Dr Dorothy Thompson  University of Manchester Chair of Inorganic Chemistry Professor Paul O’Brien.

The honorary degrees will be conferred in ceremonies this week at the Philharmonic Hall, in which more than 4,000 students will graduate.