At the Peake of his fame, Major Tim to be given freedom of his home city
HE HAS already been freed, temporarily, from gravity, and now the British astronaut Tim Peake is to be given the freedom of his home city.
Chichester City Council will confer on Major Peake the highest honour it can bestow, at a ceremony on February 25.
Mayor Peter Evens will present the title at the Chichester Festival Theatre, after which the 45-yearold spaceman will talk about the European Space Agency’s Principia Mission in which he participated.
The Soyuz descent module that brought Maj Peake safely back to earth is currently on display at the National Railway Museum in York, following a similar engagement in Bradford.
During his mission, Maj Peake – the first Briton to walk in space – helped to repair the power supply to the International Space Station and conducted a series of experiments.
Town clerk Rodney Duggua said: “The Freedom is the highest honour the city can bestow and is not given lightly; it is the local government equivalent of an investiture.”
In Chichester, children will be given the chance to question him about the mission.
Maj Peake, who has given previous talks in York and
The Freedom is the highest honour the city can bestow. Chichester Town Clerk Rodney Duggua.
Bradford, was born in Chichester and attended the city’s High School for Boys, which has named its science centre after him.
He was also a member of the area’s air training corps, and his parents live in nearby Westbourne.
The Freedom of Chichester was an honour adopted in 1901, but its origins date back to the 12th and 13th centuries.
Free tickets for the event are available to reserve online from 10am on February 5 at cft.org.uk.