City gr-eight-ful to its latest Citizens of Honour

The unique contributions of eight individuals to Liverpool and beyond are set to be rewarded with one of the city’s highest prizes

Professor John Ashton, the Reverend Canon Dr Crispin Pailing, Leroy Cooper and Chrissie Byrne as well as the four members of The Real Thing have all been nominated to be made Citizens of Honour.

The nominations will be put forward for approval at an Extraordinary Meeting of the Full Council on Wednesday 24 July.

Professor John Ashton attended the former Quarry Bank High School, before studying at Newcastle University Medical School and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He held positions at the University of Southampton, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Liverpool School of Medicine and was also the Regional Director of Public Health for North-West England for 13 years. His many achievements include setting up one of the world’s first syringe exchange programmes in Liverpool, founding the Liverpool Public Health Observatory and initiating the World Health Organisation’s Healthy Cities Project. Professor Ashton was honoured with a CBE in 2000.

Rev Dr Crispin Pailing was made Rector of Liverpool in 2014 having been ordained in 2003, after graduating in classics from Oxford University. Before taking up his position at Liverpool Parish Church, he was Vicar of Perry Barr in Birmingham. Canon Pailing resigned from his post in Liverpool earlier this year and held his last service in the city in June. He was made MBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours List.

One of Liverpool’s most passionate campaigners for the city’s green spaces, Chrissie Byrne was the chair and organiser of the Friends of Walton Hall Park where she led campaigns to protect the park from development and also supported other friends of parks groups across the city. Chrissie passed away in 2023.

Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Richard Kemp nominated both Professor Ashton and Chrissie Byrne for their honours.

For over 40 years, photographer Leroy Cooper captured life in Liverpool, especially the Black community in L8, leaving an archive of over 250,000 images when he died in 2023. His arrest and subsequent treatment by the police in 1981 when he was a student was part of an incident that led to the first Toxteth uprising. As well as a photographer, Leroy also became known as a performance poet and DJ and exhibitions of his work were shown at the Unity Theatre and the Museum of Liverpool. Leroy Cooper’s posthumous nomination was made by Sonia Bassey MBE.

The Real Thing formed in Liverpool in 1972. Best known for their hits You To Me Are Everything, Can’t Get By Without You and Can You Feel the Force, the group remains the UK’s most successful Black group. They were also the first Black British soul group to have a UK Number One and to appear on Top of the Pops. Chris Amoo and Dave Smith both still perform as The Real Thing, following the passing of their band mates Eddy Amoo and Ray Lake.

The Real Thing have been nominated by Liverpool City Council’s Head of UNESCO City of Music Kevin McManus. Citizens of Honour were introduced in 2008 to complement the higher honour of Freedom of the City. It acknowledges people who have made significant, exceptional or unique contributions to enrich the image of Liverpool and/or its citizens.

Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Richard Kemp said: “This group of nominees shows the breadth of talent that Liverpool fosters and the impact that it has not just on its own communities, but on the wider world.

“From Public Health, to entertainment and art, and to community campaigning, it is humbling to be able to formally recognise their achievements and to welcome them into the impressive and growing family of Citizens of Honour. “The ceremonies where the recipients are invited to receive their scrolls are one of the great honours of the role of Lord Mayor and I am immensely looking forward to meeting them, or the families of posthumous recipients, later in the year.”