Tennis star Andy Murray will be awarded the Freedom of the City of Stirling during a special ceremony at his old school.
It’s been months since the decision to reward the Dunblane native for his successes in the London Olympics in 2012 and at the US Open, where he secured his first Grand Slam.
A tough training and tournament schedule has made it difficult find a suitable date until now.
The Freedom will finally be conferred upon Murray at a special meeting of Stirling Council at Dunblane High School on April 23.
Provost Mike Robbins said the star’s hard-earned success should make him an inspirational figure for local young people “Andy is a local hero who has achieved sporting excellence at an international level,” he said.
“He’s a great role model for our young people and we are very much looking forward to honouring him with the Freedom of the City.’
Murray will only be the third individual to receive the honour since Stirling was awarded city status in 2002 the others being the late Colonel Frank Saunders and cricketer Irwin Iffla.
The star will be enjoying an increasingly rare stay in Perthshire this month and is expected to enjoy some time at his newly-opened Cromlix House Hotel.
He said: “I’m really looking forward to my visit to Stirling and my old school. I don’t get up to Scotland as much as I’d like due to my schedule, but it’s an honour to receive The Freedom of the City and I can’t wait to see everyone.’
Exact details of the ceremony have yet to be finalised, but some members of the public will have the chance to attend.
The opportunity to see Murray is sure to prove popular and so a ballot will be held.
Anyone interested in being a part of the ceremony is asked to email their name, address and date of birth to Lynne Gibbons at gibbonsla@stirling.gov.uk.
Entry will be by ticket only.