The film-maker Mike Leigh has been honoured with the freedom of his birth city of Salford, after a nearly 40-year career distilling the realities of northern working-class life on to the screen.
Collecting the honorary book, medal and certificate at Salford civic centre, Leigh said: “What an extraordinary honour to receive the freedom of the city of Salford, it is something I could never have dreamed of at Salford grammar school.”
The massacre led to the establishment of the Guardian’s first incarnation, the Manchester Guardian newspaper.
Leigh’s international accolades include five Baftas, two British independent film awards and a Palme d’Or.