Danny Boyle honoured with prestigious civic award

London, May 12: `Slumdog Millionaire` director Danny Boyle has been honoured with a prestigious civic award from his hometown.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Bury, along with rock band Elbow and gold-medal winning Paralympic athlete Zoe Robinson, at a special ceremony in the Town Hall. Boyle said that receiving the Freedom of his hometown was "very touching". "It`s really nice. It really means a lot to me, and to my family – my dad still lives in Radcliffe," the Telegraph quoted him as saying. "It was all very good-humoured today. You need to take these things quite lightly really because although they`re significant and very meaningful in many ways, you should always have a lightness about them. "The natural humour here doesn`t allow you to take yourself too seriously," he added. Mark Sanders, chief executive of Bury Council, said: "Danny Boyle`s, Elbow`s and Zoë Robinson`s successes over the past 12 months have really put Bury on the map, both nationally and internationally. Sanders added: "We are really proud of all these individuals` outstanding achievements in their respective professions and by granting them Freedom of the Borough we want to acknowledge their hard work, determination and commitment. This is the council`s way of congratulating them all on their successes." ANI