Full Council agrees to bestow honour on local champion
Elected members at today’s (Tuesday 22 June) Council meeting have agreed to grant the Freedom of East Lothian to Josh Taylor.
Provost, John McMillan, put forward the nomination to present the award of the Freedom of East Lothian to honour the sporting achievements of Josh Taylor, undisputed light-welterweight champion of the world.
Provost McMillan, said: “Josh’s achievements over a relatively short span of time have been outstanding. From his early successes as an amateur boxer winning medals at successive Commonwealth Games to his continued success in the highly competitive professional arena he has excelled. His most recent achievement as the first British fighter to become an undisputed world champion in the ‘four-belt era’ and only the fifth man in the world to achieve this status is testament to his dedication, extensive training and ambition. It’s an achievement that’s unlikely to be bettered within his generation of fighters and he is a fantastic role model to local young people across East Lothian.”
The freedom is now awarded as a mark of respect, although historically it once offered certain rights and rights to the ‘freeman’. In 2004, East Lothian Council granted the Freedom of East Lothian to the world-renowned artist John Bellany from Port Seton, and in 2009 to Catriona Matthew, Women’s Open Golf Champion from North Berwick. In 2012, The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland – or 1 SCOTS – was granted the Freedom of East Lothian and in May 2019 it was also granted to Lothians and Border Yeomanry