Comic Elaine C Smith has grazed cattle on Glasgow Inexperienced – a proper that comes with being awarded the Freedom of Glasgow.
The town’s highest honour, which she is among the few girls to obtain, additionally permits her to fish within the River Clyde.
The Rab C Nesbitt and Two Doorways Down star stated it was “quite the honour” to be granted the award in recognition of her contribution to the humanities and her embodiment as an advocate for ladies’s rights and values.
The official civic reception will happen on Friday, on the eve of Worldwide Girls’s Day.
Smith exercised a few of her new rights by grazing cattle borrowed from Pollok Park on Glasgow Inexperienced on Thursday.
She stated: “As a newly minted freeman of Glasgow, I must say, it’s quite the honour.
“However let’s be clear, whereas I could also be a ‘freeman’ by title, I’m, and at all times will likely be, a free girl at coronary heart.
“So, if you see me grazing Highland cattle on Glasgow Green or fishing in the Clyde, just remember, I’m exercising my rights as a free woman.”
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Pic: PA
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Pic: PA
Freemen historically have the correct to graze their cows on the widespread land (Glasgow Inexperienced) and now have the obligation to “patrol and guard the town” and to defend it by arms.
If freemen don’t carry out this obligation, they could possibly be prosecuted for perjury of their oath and, if convicted, have a proper to a jail cell of their very own.
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Pic: PA
Others granted the Freedom of the Metropolis of Glasgow embody Sir Billy Connolly, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Sir Alex Ferguson and the late Nelson Mandela.
Solely a handful of girls have been awarded the honour, which has included scientist Marie Curie, who was the primary girl to win a Nobel Prize.
Smith’s profession has spanned greater than 40 years in radio, tv, movie, and theatre.
She is a daily on the Glasgow pantomime scene, and on stage she has starred in reveals together with Calendar Women, Annie and the Susan Boyle musical I Dreamed A Dream, which she co-wrote.
Smith can also be a charity campaigner and political activist, notably on points corresponding to poverty and ladies’s rights.
Glasgow’s lord provost, councillor Jacqueline McLaren, stated: “Elaine’s dedication to advocating for and supporting women, and her successful and impactful work in the arts, makes her a deserving recipient of the Freedom of the City.
“In her personal means, Elaine has highlighted that whereas she holds the title of ‘freeman’, she proudly identifies as a free girl, and I feel this playful, but profound sentiment completely captures the essence of the values we have fun on Worldwide Girls’s Day.”
