Professor Jonathan Van-Tam is to be given the Honorary Freedom of the Borough of Boston
a formal ceremony will now be arranged
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, will be awarded Honorary Freedom of the Borough of his hometown of Boston.
It's after he accepted the honour from Boston Borough Council.
The Borough Council extended the offer to Professor Van-Tam following their Council meeting in September, recognising his achievements in supporting the country throughout the pandemic.
Professor Van-Tam said he was ‘delighted to accept’ the offer of Freedom of the Borough and a formal ceremony will now be arranged to present him with the honour.
Professor Van-Tam has been ever-present throughout the pandemic and has become familiar to households across the country, regularly appearing as part of the Government’s Covid-19 briefings. Alongside this Professor Van-Tam has continued to play an active role in his hometown during the pandemic. In addition to his well-documented support for local club Boston United, he also recently returned to take part in talks with schools across the Borough and helped to roll out the Covid-19 vaccination through the ‘grab a jab’ initiative at the town’s Princess Royal Sports Arena vaccination centre.
Speaking about the decision to offer Professor Van-Tam Honorary Freedom of the Borough,
Mayor the Borough of Boston, Cllr Frank Pickett, said:
“Professor Van-Tam has played an incredibly important part of the country’s response to the pandemic and has arguably become one of the most recognisable people in the country over the past 18 months. We’re incredibly grateful for the work that he has done in helping respond to the pandemic, as I know many in the Borough, and I’m sure across the country, are too. Offering Professor Van-Tam Honorary Freedom of the Borough seemed like the very least we could do to recognise those contributions, and of course, his ongoing support for the town.”
Presentation of the Honorary Freedom of the Borough will be made to Professor Van-Tam at a formal ceremony in Boston, a date is yet to be confirmed