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Guy Garvey receives honorary MMU doctorate

Singer dedicates degree to his Elbow bandmates

ELBOW frontman Guy Garvey has become an honorary Doctor of Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The singer was presented with the award at the graduation ceremony for the Faculty of Art and Design and said he wanted to share it with his band.

Guy said: “Because of the band, none of us went to University - well, Pete did a term at Salford until we spent his grant - so this means a lot to me.”

He added that the last time he had been on stage at the Bridgewater Hall, where the ceremony took place, was as part of the Manchester International Festival, when the band were accompanied by the Halle Orchestra.

So proud

“We finished with One Day Like This and right in front of the cameras, in front of all the people singing along, were two kids giving us the Vs,” said Guy. “That made me so proud – I’m not sure why.

“It felt like the city was proud of us, and the reason I mention it is to let you know how proud Manchester is of its students. Every year there’s a fresh influx of new faces. You really are the city’s heart – I don’t just mean the local economy, but the influx of fresh blood makes the place sparkle, it’s a different place when the students are here.”

He finished with a message of goodwill to the students for their lives after graduation.

“Long before you get your degree you are already the people you want to be, and I hope that it brings you lots and lots of joy and lots and lots of happiness,” he said. “Thank you very much for sharing this special day with me and the band.”

Dedication

He then dedicated the degree to bandmates, Richard Jupp, Craig Potter, Mark Potter and Pete Turner, his family and girlfriend, the novelist Emma Unsworth.

Professor David Crow, Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design, said: “It is an honour to be able to award Guy for his services to both the creative sector and very worthy world wide charitable organisations. He is a great ambassador for the region, our staff and, most importantly, our students.”

Published Wednesday, 11th July 2012