AN internationally-acclaimed poet is to be honoured by a North-East university next week.

Former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion is to be awarded an honorary degree by Durham University.

The novelist and biographer will be made an Honorary Doctor of Letters during a ceremony at Durham Cathedral on June 29.

He said: “It’s a deep honour to receive this, partly because it confirms and validates the role that poetry can play in a life and partly because it strengthens the ties of affection that already connect me to Durham University - which, among its myriad other contributions to the country and the world, has always shown that the life of the mind cannot be separated from the life of the imagination.”

Also being honoured is Dr Rob Catty, a retired former partner in the Claypath and University Medical Group in Durham City, who now serves on the ethics committee of the university's anthropology department.

He will be made an Honorary Master of Science during a ceremony on June 28.

The awards will be presented during the university's summer congregation, which will see around 4000 students from nearly 100 countries graduate at one of 15 ceremonies taking place over four days.

Vice-chancellor Professor Stuart Corbridge said: “It has been another highly successful year for Durham University and it is a pleasure to join with our graduates, their relatives and friends in celebrating their achievements at our Summer Congregation ceremonies.

“They will, I am sure, have big ambitions for the next chapter in their lives, just as we have big ambitions to ensure Durham continues to be a world-leading university.

"As they join our thriving international alumni network, I hope they will keep in touch so that we can achieve those goals together.”