Whitby man celebrates becoming first Freeman of the town
A Whitby man is celebrating becoming a Freeman of the town.
A Whitby man is celebrating becoming a Freeman of the town.
John Freeman is the first to hold the title, previously you would have been an Honorary Citizen.
In the past he's been Mayor three times and served on the town council.
John said:
"I've been an artist in Whitby now for 52 years and there are images of mine all over the world so they've been a very useful part of publicising Whitby.
"The Freeman is because of the work I've done via the council and the tourism association over many years. I just give the best foot forward for Whitby.
"It's a lovely feeling and it's slightly amusing obviously being the surname Freeman and being given the title of a Freeman of the town, so that's always going to be an amusing juxtaposition of names.
"I've got a lovely little medal and I've got a lovely plaque. A predecessor of mine said 'well the only thing you can do is drive your herd of sheep across the bridge' which is a completely fictitious thing. There are no other rewards other than being recognised by the town."