OLYMPIC athlete and Commonwealth champion Brendan Foster was made an Honorary Freeman of a North-East borough yesterday.

Mr Foster was awarded the honour by Gateshead Council at a ceremony presided over by council leader Mick Henry.

He was given a hand-inscribed scroll and a landscape painting of Bamburgh by local artist Walter Holmes, in recognition of his contribution to the development of athletics across the region and the UK, and for his outstanding achievements as an international athlete.

Present were fellow Freemen Jonathan Edwards, the Olympic and world triple jumping champion, and Councillor George Gill, former leader of Gateshead Council,

Being awarded Freedom of the Borough is a rare event for Gateshead as there have only been 27 created since the borough was formed in 1835.

Since 1974, only four other people have received the honour.

The first Honorary Freeman was created in 1906 and the title of Freeman dates back to the 15th Century.

Councillor Henry said: "It is difficult to describe the contribution that Brendan has made to Gateshead and the North-East region. He combines, to a remarkable degree, outstanding personal achievement - as an athlete and as a successful businessman - with total commitment to the cause of the borough. Few British athletes have matched Brendan's achievements on the track."

Mr Foster won no fewer than seven medals at major championships, including golds at the 1974 European Games and 1978 Commonwealth Games and has held world records for the two-mile event and 3,000 metres, the latter of which set at Gateshead International Stadium.

He also was a driving force behind the creation of the Great North Run.