OLYMPIC sailing hero Sir Ben Ainsli will receive another honour tonight – the freedom of his home town.
The athlete will be presented with a sealed and illuminated certificate at a special meeting of Lymington and Pennington Town Council.
Members of the public are being invited to attend the ceremony at the Fuller- McClellan Hall in Cannon Street.
Sir Ben, 36, who has lived in Lymington since he was a teenager, will become the first person to be awarded the freedom of the town.
It follows almost two decades of unprecedented success on the international sailing circuit.
Sir Ben was knighted earlier this year and became the first Briton to win the America’s Cup for more than 100 years.
Town clerk Steve Cridland said: “Sir Ben will receive the freedom award in recognition of his services to sailing.”
Sir Ben will receive his honour from the town mayor, Councillor Anna Rostand.
The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre, will be one of the VIPs at the ceremony, which starts at 6.30pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel