Freedom of city honour signed, sealed and delivered to Wonder

MUSIC legend Stevie Wonder has finally been awarded the Freedom of Newcastle, more than two years after the honour was officially conferred upon him.

- OLIVIA SHEED

The global icon received this recognition of his efforts to establish Martin Luther King Day in the United States, as well as his ongoing activism for social and political causes.

Despite being awarded the honour in March 2023, he never received it in person as he was unable to attend the ceremony. A Newcastle music charity, Northern Roots, intervened and caught up with him in London after his Hyde Park concert. Through Malcolm Gerrie, the man behind the 1980s music show The Tube, they put in a cheeky bid to meet him and, to everyone's astonishment, were granted a meeting with the music legend.

His UK manager Keith Harris, who was born in Newcastle, also put in a word on behalf of his city.

During an hour-long interview at 2.30am at his hotel, they listened to his views on social justice and handed over the framed scroll along with a braille letter explaining why he was awarded Newcastle's highest honour.