TV star Paul O’Grady given Wirral’s highest honour and hailed ‘one of our finest’

The late Paul O’Grady has been given the feedom of his home borough Wirral after politicians voted unanimously on Monday night to honour the star ‘who never forgot his roots’.

The legendary entertainer, who was born in Birkenhead, died suddenly in March this year, aged 67, prompting a huge outpouring of love and tributes from across the country and beyond.

O’Grady grew up in Merseyside before moving to London and finding fame as drag queen comedian Lily Savage. He went on to host a series of TV and radio shows and become a champion of animal welfare. He was an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

More than 210,000 people have signed a petition calling for a statue of him to be erected in Birkenhead. A posthumous Freedom of the Borough ceremony with members of Mr O’Grady’s family and invited guests will happen at a later date.

Former council leader Janette Williamson said she was honoured to have nominated Mr O’Grady for the award calling him ‘one of our best’. She said it would be ‘a really deserved award going out tonight to award one of Birkehead’s finest’.

Wirral Council said the Freedom of the Borough award is the ‘first step’ in the council’s plans for a ‘fitting celebration’ of the star’s life. A mural has also recently gone up at Woodside featuring both Mr O’Grady and Lily Savage against a leopard print background overlooking the Mersey.

In a personal tribute, Cllr Jason Walsh said Paul O’Grady and Lily Savage was a legendary cultural figure that had helped changed attitudes as ‘a working class gay Irish and English icon’. He added: “I often think about the fact that many of us stand on the shoulders of giants and Paul was one of those giants. He helped make it possible for gay people like me to have many of the rights some of us could take for granted.”

The Freedom of the Borough is the highest award Wirral Council can give and goes to “persons of distinction who have rendered eminent service to the borough.” Previous recipients of the award have included former MP Baron Frank Field of Birkenhead and the Hillsborough 97.