WATCH: Double Olympic Heroine granted Freedom of Moray
Heather Stanning joins new elite group with accolade from Moray Council
Heather Stanning has been granted the Freedom of Moray with the honour in recognition of her outstanding achievement of winning gold in the women’s pairs rowing event in Rio be Janeiro last month - adding to her gold at the London Olympics in 2012.
The Freedom scroll was presented to Heather by Moray Council convener Allan Wright at a special meeting of the council in Elgin.
She becomes only the second individual in recent years to be granted the Freedom of Moray.
Councillor Wright said: “Along with her rowing partner Helen Glover, Heather has achieved a magnificent feat in winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals and in London and again in Rio helped Great Britain to two of its biggest medal hauls in the history of the Olympic Games"
“Not only that, she and Helen were world pairs champions in 2014 and again in 2015 and they are also the reigning European champions “These are outstanding achievements of which Heather and Helen can be justifiably proud and we here in Moray share in that sense of enormous pride and it is an honour and a privilege for me to confer upon Heather the highest accolade this council can offer, the Freedom of Moray.”