Local hero Andy Murray returned to his old stomping ground today in an emotional homecoming celebration honouring the Wimbledon champion’s achievements.
The Dunblane star was given the Freedom of Stirling at a special council meeting at his old school, before receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Stirling.
The 26-year-old, who had spent his first night at his nearby newly-opened Cromlix Hotel, arrived at Dunblane High with his girlfriend Kim Sears and was piped into ‘Murray Hall’.
After receiving the award Murray picked up a microphone and told the audience: “I’m going to keep this very short because there’s a good chance I’ll get emotional. It feels good to be home.”Click here for a full photo galleryMurray said he had been doing some research on the Freedom of the City award but was still unsure of what it will allow him to do.
He said: “I’ve read a bit about it on the internet. I don’t know exactly what it lets me do but I don’t think I can do anything different to anyone else.
“It’s amazing, it doesn’t happen that often, so it shows the support from the public, which has been unbelievable.”
The Freedom of Stirling has only been granted on four previous occasions.
Stirling Council decided to honour the tennis star after his success at the 2012 Olympics and his first Grand Slam win in the US later that year.
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